KSE-100 ends lower after early rally loses steam

Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index closed in the red on Wednesday, shedding 318.65 points, or 0.2 per cent, to settle at 155,858.47 points compared with its previous close of 156,177.12 points.

The index began the session on a strong note, staging a sharp rebound during early trading. By 10:55am, the index had climbed more than 2,000 points as investor sentiment improved following the previous day’s rally.

However, the momentum gradually faded through the day, and by 1pm the index had largely erased its gains, reflecting cautious trading activity.

Overall, the session remained volatile, with the benchmark fluctuating between an intraday high of 158,624.51 points and a low of 155,652.35 points.

Trading activity was led by The Bank of Punjab, which rose 2.53pc to Rs27.97 on a volume of 37,706,784 shares. It was followed by K-Electric Limited, which fell 3.10pc to Rs7.49 with 37,690,039 shares traded, and Cnergyico PK Limited, which edged up 2.02pc to Rs7.06 on a volume of 27,351,074 shares.

The earlier rally came in the wake of a sharp pullback in global oil prices. Crude prices plunged around 15pc on Tuesday after briefly surging to their highest levels since 2022 a day earlier. The decline followed remarks by United States President Donald Trump suggesting that the war with Iran could end soon, easing concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies.