KSE-100 Falls 784 Points in Late Friday Sell-Off
The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed lower on Friday, October 30, 2026, after selling pressure intensified in the second half of the session. The index settled at 166,409.25 points, down 784.18 points, or 0.47 per cent, from the previous close of 167,193.44 points.
The fall ended a four-session winning run. On Thursday, the index had gained 1,456.68 points, or 0.88 per cent, to close at 167,193.44 points. That close was its highest finish in nearly a month, and it took the index above the level it held before governor’s rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
How the KSE-100 falls unfolded
The session started with sharp fluctuations. The benchmark dropped from higher levels, then recovered some of its losses. During the first half, it moved within a fairly narrow range around the 167,000-point level.
The market failed to sustain that recovery. Selling pressure strengthened in the latter half, and the downward move gathered pace towards the closing hours. The index tried a minor recovery near the end, but it stayed under pressure and closed close to its intraday low of 166,326.69 points.
The intraday high was 167,338.73 points. The full range for the day was therefore just over 1,000 points, from high to low. Regular-market volume stood at 825.47 million shares.
Earlier in the day, the index had looked very different. At midday, it was up 1,136.74 points, or 0.69 per cent, at 166,873.49 points. The reversal from that midday gain to a closing loss of 784 points shows how fast sentiment turned in the afternoon.
What dragged the index down
Market data showed broad-based selling in heavyweight stocks. United Bank Ltd erased 102.66 points from the index, followed by Lucky Cement with 88.36 points, Habib Bank Ltd with 70.19 points, Fatima Fertilizer with 49.16 points and Attock Refinery with 48.21 points.
On the gaining side, Engro Fertilizers provided the highest positive contribution at 51.93 points. Pakistan Oilfields added 48.18 points, Meezan Bank 40.82 points, Engro Holdings 22.90 points and Oil and Gas Development Company 13.13 points.
Breadth was negative. Among index companies, 69 closed lower, 30 closed higher and one closed unchanged. KSE-100 volume stood at 235.53 million shares. The broader All-Share Index settled at 100,707.77 points, down 457.17 points, or 0.45 per cent.
The four-session run that came before
The fall breaks a run that had rebuilt confidence in the market. Feature Pakistan reported that the PSX gained 1,456 points in its fourth straight session on Thursday. That report noted fertiliser firms and banks led the advance, with Fauji Fertilizer Company and Habib Bank Ltd providing the bulk of the index points.
The PSX had also launched a Shariah-compliant trading counter for investors earlier in the week. That step widened the market’s product range, but it did not shield the benchmark from Friday’s sell-off.
On the economic front, Pakistan’s fiscal surplus narrowed to 0.8 per cent of GDP in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. That background matters for investors, since the fiscal path shapes expectations about government borrowing and interest rates.
Why selling picked up
Two forces weighed on sentiment. First, oil prices moved higher and headed for a fourth consecutive monthly gain, their strongest monthly advance since July. Traders linked that move to concerns over supply disruptions after increased attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
Second, global technology shares slumped in Asia on Friday. The yen rose, and bonds surged towards their biggest monthly gain in nearly three years, as investors moved towards safety. Nerves were frayed by worries that huge and rising spending on artificial intelligence may not deliver matching returns.
Shares in Google parent Alphabet fell 12.6 per cent on Wall Street and slid further after hours, wiping out about $500 billion in market value, as massive AI spending turned the company’s cash flow negative. South Korea’s KOSPI slumped 5 per cent, for an October fall of more than 17 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei fell 3 per cent.
At home, the finance ministry projected inflation in the range of 9.5 per cent to 10.5 per cent for October 2026. Higher energy and food prices drove that outlook, in line with global trends.
