KSE-100 Falls 639 Points Amid Volatile Session; Corporate Earnings in Focus

Karachi, October 17, 2025 —

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a turbulent trading session on Friday as the KSE-100 Index closed at 163,806, marking a decline of 639 points or 0.39%.

The market opened on a positive note, briefly touching an intraday high of 165,031, but persistent volatility pushed the index down to an intraday low of 163,118 before settling lower.

Trading activity remained healthy, with 550.4 million shares exchanged, valuing around PKR 22 billion.

Key Index Movers

Major laggards driving the decline included MARI (-1.5%, -91 points), UBL (-0.7%, -78 points), HBL (-1.3%, -77 points), POL (-2.4%, -68 points), and ENGROH (-0.9%, -67 points).

On the volume board, K-Electric (KEL) led the activity with 262.7 million shares, followed by Bank of Punjab (BOP) with 84.2 million shares.

Sector Snapshot

Selling pressure was primarily observed in Exploration & Production (E&P), Fertilizer, and Oil Marketing Company (OMC) sectors. Meanwhile, Banking and Cement stocks witnessed mixed investor sentiment, showing pockets of resilience amid profit-taking.

Market Outlook

Despite the weak close, analysts expect the market to stabilize in the coming sessions as corporate earnings season kicks in. Upcoming dividend declarations—especially from Banks and Fertilizer companies—are anticipated to boost investor confidence.

Market experts advise investors to remain focused on fundamentally strong sectors, including E&Ps, OMCs, Fertilizers, and Banks, which continue to offer attractive dividend yields and long-term growth prospects.