PSX: selling engulfs bourse, KSE-100 settles nearly 1,500 points lower

The KSE-100 ended Friday at 173,886.68, down 1,493.18 points, or 0.85%, as selling overwhelmed intermittent buying, Business Recorder reported. The index moved unevenly through the session, recovering from an early dip and rising towards 174,000 before losing ground later; a late bounce trimmed the decline.

The fall followed Thursday’s 3,366.38-point advance, when the benchmark closed at 175,379.87. Analysts cited geopolitical uncertainty and stalled peace talks as factors weighing on sentiment. Separately, SBP foreign exchange reserves rose by $39 million to $21.56 billion in the week to October 30, while Pakistan’s external debt increased 4% to $135.1 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank.

Overseas markets also faced heavy losses: South Korea’s KOSPI, Japan’s Nikkei and Taiwan’s market declined sharply amid concerns about AI investment and regulatory scrutiny. These global moves formed part of the market backdrop, while Friday’s local trading remained in negative territory despite the late recovery.