The Share prices fell like nine pins at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday as investors booked profits amid concerns over fiscal slippages and widening external imbalances, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
At the end of the day, the PSX’s benchmark KSE-100 Index slipped to 167,752.40 points, reflecting a decline of 1,237.67 points or -0.74%.
Selling pressure was seen across major sectors, including oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing firms, power generation, banks, cement and auto assemblers. Heavily weighted stocks such as ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SSGC, SNGP, MCB, MEBL, and UBL traded in negative territory.
According to data released last week, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs2.88 trillion in the first quarter of FY26, falling short of its Rs3.083 trillion target by Rs198 billion.
Meanwhile, the trade deficit widened nearly 46% year-on-year in September 2025 to $3.34 billion, as imports jumped 14% to $5.85 billion and exports fell 11.7% to $2.5 billion, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
For the July–September quarter, the trade gap grew 32.9% to $9.37 billion, driven by rising imports and declining exports.
Economists warned that the trend could pressure the rupee and foreign reserves, complicating debt repayments amid Pakistan’s dependence on external financing.
Earlier on Friday, the mixed performance came after a relatively stronger close, when the KSE-100 Index ended the day at 168,990.07, up by 500.45 points.
That session saw the index trade positively throughout, with a high of 169,988.61 and volumes of over 831 million shares.
Friday’s rally had been supported by strong gains in names like AICL, CNERGY, and FHAM, while heavyweights such as MEBL and HUMNL pulled back.
Overall, companies like FFC and UBL contributed the most to the index on the upside, while MEBL and MARI dragged it lower.
Reporter: Ashraf Khan