PSX Market Wrap: KSE-100 Index Closes Lower Despite Gains in ATRL and SRVI

The Pakistan Stock Exchange experienced a volatile trading session on March 6, 2026 as the benchmark KSE-100 Index closed significantly lower amid widespread selling in major stocks.

According to market data, the index opened the session at 161,435.83 points and remained near that level during the early hours of trading.

However, selling pressure gradually intensified during the session, causing the market to move downward.
At one point during the day, the index dropped to its lowest level of 157,072.65 points before recovering slightly by the close.

The KSE-100 Index eventually settled at 157,496.10 points, representing a loss of 3,714.58 points or about 2.30 percent.

Market participants said the decline was largely driven by losses in key heavyweight companies that hold significant weight in the index.

United Bank Limited recorded the largest negative impact, pulling the index down by more than 435 points.
Engro Holdings was the second-largest dragger with a negative contribution of 368 points.

Other companies that weighed heavily on the market included Fauji Fertilizer Company, Lucky Cement, and Hub Power Company.

Together, these stocks played a major role in dragging the index lower during the session.
Despite the overall decline, a number of stocks showed positive performance.

Attock Refinery Limited emerged as the biggest supporter of the market by contributing nearly 32 points to the index.
Service Industries Limited also posted gains and added around 26 points.

Additional support came from DH Partners Limited, Pakistan Services Limited, and Cherat Cement Company.
Trading activity remained strong, with the total volume of index constituents reaching approximately 196.19 million shares.

Analysts say such fluctuations are a normal part of stock market behavior and investors should not rely solely on daily market movements when making investment decisions.

The broader performance of the index continues to remain strong for the fiscal year, with FYTD returns standing at 25.37 percent.

However, the market has faced challenges in the early months of 2026, resulting in a calendar year-to-date decline of about 9.51 percent.
Financial experts believe that future market direction will depend on economic developments, government policies, interest rate trends, and corporate earnings announcements.

Investors are expected to remain cautious while keeping a close watch on both domestic and global financial developments that could influence Pakistan’s stock market.