PSX falls for second day on profit-taking

Stocks closed lower on Friday as late-session profit-taking erased early gains, pushing the benchmark KSE-100 index down by around 1,130 points to 184,410. Market participants initially maintained a positive stance during morning trade; however, selling pressure intensified in the latter half as investors chose to lock in gains ahead of the weekend, resulting in another negative close for CY26. At the end of trading, the benchmark KSE-100 index posted a decline of 1,133.34 points, or 0.61%, and settled at 184,409.67. "Market sentiment stayed positive during the morning session; however, profit-taking and selling pressure dominated the latter half, forcing the benchmark index to register another negative close for CY26," said Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd (AHL). AHL noted that the KSE-100 index underwent further consolidation within the 184,000-185,000 support zone and concluded a volatile week in which the benchmark managed to post a weekly gain of around 3%.