Share prices tumbled at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday as investors cashed in profits amid growing concerns over fiscal challenges and a widening external deficit, as per the report.
By the end of trading, the benchmark KSE-100 Index had dropped 1,237.67 points, or 0.74%, closing at 167,752.40.
Selling pressure hit multiple key sectors, including oil and gas exploration, oil marketing, power generation, banking, cement, and automobile manufacturing. Major stocks such as ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SSGC, SNGP, MCB, MEBL, and UBL all ended in the red.
Fresh economic data added to investor unease. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs2.88 trillion in the first quarter of FY26, Rs198 billion short of its Rs3.083 trillion target.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s trade deficit widened by nearly 46% year-on-year in September 2025 to $3.34 billion, as imports rose 14% to $5.85 billion while exports declined 11.7% to $2.5 billion, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
For the July–September period, the trade gap expanded by 32.9% to $9.37 billion, driven by higher imports and weaker exports.
Economists warned that the trend could pressure the rupee and foreign reserves, complicating debt repayments and external financing.
The market’s fall came after a stronger close on Friday, when the KSE-100 Index gained 500.45 points to finish at 168,990.07, touching an intraday high of 169,988.61 with trading volumes exceeding 831 million shares.
Friday’s rally had been driven by gains in AICL, CNERGY, and FHAM, though heavyweights like MEBL and HUMNL capped the upside. On that day, FFC and UBL provided the strongest support to the index, while MEBL and MARI weighed it down.