Overview
- The KSE-100 closed at about 170,765 after a 266-point rise on Friday, recovering from an intraday low near 169,891 to an intraday high around 171,160 before late buying pushed the index into positive territory.
- Trading activity contracted sharply as ready‑market volume fell to roughly 483 million shares and traded value dropped to about Rs19.3 billion, signaling thinner participation compared with the prior session.
- External factors drove sentiment, with Brent crude trading above $100, stalled US–Iran negotiations, and media reports of an urgent Saudi–Türkiye–Pakistan meeting over Houthi attacks increasing regional risk aversion.
- Domestic political moves kept local investors on edge after PTI postponed its planned long march and authorities deployed heavy security, prompting select, cautious positioning rather than broad market bets.
- Company‑level and structural energy developments shaped selective flows: Pakistan State Oil reported FY26 EPS down about 28% and a Rs10 final dividend, while the government signed refinery upgrade pacts that envision roughly $5 billion in investment to modernize fuel capacity.