The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed lower on Friday as selling pressure erased early gains, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 352.63 points, or 0.21%, to settle at 167,089.27 points.
The index opened near 168,000 points and reached an intraday high of 168,134.12 before sustained selling pushed it down to a low of 166,837.72. Although the market recovered partially in the afternoon, it failed to maintain the gains and ended the session in negative territory.
The decline followed Thursday’s loss of 1,138.50 points, as rising global crude oil prices and heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment.
International markets also remained under pressure amid concerns over elevated energy prices, rising bond yields, and increasing investment requirements for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Brent crude futures traded at $103.70 per barrel in Asian trading after rising more than 4% in the previous session.
Uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict and its potential impact on global inflation continued to influence market sentiment. These external pressures, alongside ongoing selling at the local bourse, contributed to the KSE-100 Index’s second consecutive daily decline.
