\u201cThe pressure is obvious due to war premium and $100-plus oil prices derailing macro stability,\u201d says expert
\n islamabad
\nThe week began on a grim note at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday, as escalating Middle East tensions triggered a massive sell-off, sending the benchmark index plunging more than 9,000 points in early trading.
\nThe KSE-100 Index settled at 146,480.14 points, down 11,015.96 points, or 6.99%, from the previous close of 157,496.1, marking its second-highest single-day decline.
\nThe record fall this year remains the 16,089-point plunge recorded earlier in 2026, and the three largest single-day declines in the index\u2019s history have all occurred in 2026
\nThe index traded between an intraday high of 150,174.09 (down 7,322.01 points, or 4.65%) and a low of 144,119.43 (down 13,376.67 points, or 8.49%).
\nThe benchmark index declined by 10,566 points or 6.3% last week due to the US-Israel vs Iran war.
\n\u201cThe pressure is obvious due to war premium and $100-plus oil prices derailing macro stability with no signs of ceasefire. All eyes on SBP today,\u201d said AAH Soomro, an independent investment and economic analyst.
\nFollowing the massive decline of 9,780.15 points, or 6.21%, to 147,715.95 at the start of the session, trading was halted.
\nTrading was briefly halted under PSX risk-management rules after a sharp drop, with the exchange\u2019s notice stating that the halt was triggered due to a 5% decrease in the KSE-30 Index, suspending all equity-based markets.
\nIt also noted that outstanding orders were cancelled automatically and set out the re-opening schedule (Market Halt Time 09:22:15am; Pre-Open 10:22:15am; Open 10:27:15am).
\nAnalysts expect cautious trading this week as markets assess the impact of regional tensions, inflation trends and interest rate direction. The index currently trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 8.1 times and offers a dividend yield of around 6.3%, which analysts view as attractive at current levels.
\nAccording to AHL Research, the KSE-100 index performance over the week will depend largely on geopolitical developments and the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting today.
\nThe research house noted that the market trades at relatively attractive valuations compared with its historical levels. It identified several sectors where fundamentals remain supportive despite recent volatility.
\nOther Asian stock markets plunged Monday as oil prices soared 30% on fears about supplies from the Middle East as the US-Israeli war against Iran continued into a second week with no sign of letting up.
\nInvestors, already spooked by concerns over extended tech valuations and the huge spending on AI, ran for the hills as crude rocketed to its highest level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
\nFears grew that the Middle East conflict could last for some time after US President Donald Trump said only the \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d of Iran would end the war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe pressure is obvious due to war premium and $100-plus oil prices derailing macro stability,\u201d says expert islamabad The week began on a grim note at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday, as escalating Middle East tensions triggered a massive sell-off, sending the benchmark index plunging more than 9,000 points in early trading. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-535818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n