Middle East Conflict Fears Push Pakistan Stock Exchange Down 347 Points, Banks and Fertilizer Firms Lead Sell-Off.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange fell 347 points on Friday, closing at 181,430.02 after a daytime peak of 181,647.27 and low of 180,620.08, reflecting tight trading. Although Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey reaffirmed defence ties, investors remained nervous that the Middle East conflict could intensify, and many sold shares ahead of the weekend. Sellers pushed most index‑heavy sectors – automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser firms, oil and gas exploration and oil marketing – with higher international oil prices encouraging profit‑taking. On the corporate front, Mari Energies announced record FY26 earnings of Rs87 billion and Q4 earnings per share of Rs31.2, up 99 % YoY, lifting its own shares along with those of Hub Power, Cnergyico Pk, Ghani Glass and The Bank of Punjab. Engro Holdings, UBL, MCB and Engro Fertilisers fell 332 points amid selective profit‑taking, while Cnergyico Pk traded the most shares at 161.2 million and foreign investors sold Rs1.07 billion of shares. Total trading volume was 716 million shares, down from 793.4 million the day before, with a traded value of Rs34.1 billion and 492 companies active. Analysts expect the index to remain range‑bound, with sentiment hinging on the pace of geopolitical tensions, oil prices and ongoing earnings reports.