Modest recovery after Pakistan Stock Market crashes due to Trump tariff shock

Market show nearly 50 recovery after KSE-100 index losing nearly 7,000 points

Syed Safdar Abbas

Updated 07 Apr, 2025

Business & Economy

Screens at Pakistan Stock Market in Karachi blinks in red. PHOTO SYED SAFDAR ABBAS/AAJ NEWS

Donal Trump setting global stock markets on fire. Representational image generated by Meta Ai and cropped.

A dramatic sell-off occurred at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index plunging by more than five percent and trade being suspended for 45 minutes.

The market continued to nose dive after the trade resumed. However, by the end of trading the market recovered around 50 per cent.

At 9:35am, the benchmark index stood at 115,623.88, reflecting a drop of 3,167.78 points, or 2.67%.

The market continued to drop and by the noon, KSE-100 lost 6,287 points or 5.29 percent. This was when the trading was suspended for 45 minutes.

After the trade resume, market dropped to 111,928.22, losing a total of 6,863 points. By 1:15, the market was at the lowest of the day with KSE-100 down by over 7,000 points.

The market later recovered to negative 114,909.48, that is KSE-100 negative 3,882 points, or negative 3.27 of the day.

Widespread selling pressure was noted across major sectors, including cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies (OMCs), refineries, and power generation. Key stocks that heavily influence the index, such as HUBCO, ARL, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, and HBL, all traded in negative territory.

Last week, the PSX began with a notable surge, reaching a high of 120,793 points after an increase of over 1,800 points, though by the end of that trading day, the market experienced an abrupt decline, closing down 146 points at 118,791.

The rally in PSX last week, left many surprized because global stock markets faced a meltdown after Trump levied tariffs on imports from over a hundred countries including Pakistan.

The impact of President Trump’s aggressive policies has extended beyond US borders, leading to declines in international markets.

Other Asian markets have also been affected, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dropping over 6%.

Other major declines include Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index at 10.8%, China’s Shanghai Index at 6.3%, Korea’s KOSPI at 4.6%, and India’s BSE Sensex at 4.1%.

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