PSX Crashes 6,482 Points in Black Thursday Shock

Staff Report

Islamabad: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) faced an unprecedented meltdown on Thursday as the KSE-100 Index plunged by 6,482 points, closing at 103,527 — marking the largest single-day decline in the index’s history.

Investor sentiment remained deeply shaken throughout the session, which saw extreme volatility. The KSE-100 recorded its highest-ever intraday movement of 10,282 points, swinging from an intraday high of 1,872 points to an intraday low of 8,410 points.

The market crash followed alarming geopolitical developments after ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry announced that Pakistani forces had neutralized 25 drones sent by India since last night. He also confirmed that four army personnel were injured after one drone managed to partially strike a military target, despite the majority being intercepted.

The statement sent shockwaves through financial markets, triggering widespread panic selling amid fears of escalating cross-border hostilities. Investors rushed to offload positions, leading to a broad-based decline across sectors.

Amid the sharp sell-off, trading was temporarily halted for one hour after the KSE-30 Index dropped more than 5% for five consecutive minutes, activating the market’s circuit breaker mechanism.PSX witnesses increase of over 1,400 points in 100-Index

The largest drag on the benchmark index came from FFC, MARI, UBL, OGDC, and PPL, which collectively eroded 2,051 points from the KSE-100.

Total traded volume stood at 651 million shares, with a traded value of PKR 35.40 billion. WTL led the volumes chart with 93.2 million shares traded.