Pakistan Stock Exchange plunges nearly 10,000 points as US-Israel-Iran conflict expands

2026-03-09 - 04:44

KARACHI – Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened new business week on a negative note as it dipped nearly 10,000 points, forcing suspension of the trading activity, as expanding the US-Israel war with Iran have sparked selling rally. As the trading started, the KSE-100 index plunged by 9,780.15 points to drop to 147,715.95 points, registering a negative change of 6.21 percent compared to previous close of 157,496.10 points. The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) began the new trading week on a steep decline, with the KSE-100 index plunging nearly 10,000 points, prompting a temporary suspension of trading. At the opening bell, the KSE-100 index fell 9,780.15 points, settling at 147,715.95, marking a 6.21% drop from the previous close of 157,496.10 points. Market analysts attributed the sell-off to growing geopolitical tensions following the escalating US-Israel conflict with Iran. The war in the Middle East has entered the 10th day with the US-Israel pounding Iran and Lebanon with missiles and airstrikes while Tehran continues to hit Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities with counterstrikes. In previous session, the benchmark KSE-100 Index also remained bearish on Friday, losing 3,714.58 points, a negative change of 2.30 percent, closing at 157,496.10 points against 161,210.68 points on the last trading day. A total of 363,145,903 shares were traded during the day as compared to 723,879,788 shares the previous trading day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs 23.108 billion against Rs 35.179 billion on the last trading day. As many as 468 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 105 of them recorded gains and 311 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 52 companies remained unchanged.