{
  "id": 2065520,
  "title": "Equities end lower for second straight session",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/equities-end-lower-for-second-straight-session",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-20T02:04:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2024046/equities-end-lower-for-second-straight-session"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a second consecutive day of decline on Wednesday, as economic and political concerns caused jittery investors to sell off their holdings late in the day. The benchmark KSE-100 index closed lower for the second day in a row, despite a bullish opening. The PSX opened at 986 points, driven by news of a plan to address Rs1.49 trillion of the Rs3.6 trillion gas sector circular debt. This plan was expected to be partially funded by higher dividends from state-owned E&P companies and increased petroleum development levy (PDL) collections. However, the initial optimism soon waned as aggressive selling pressure overwhelmed the market, pushing the index down to a low of 1,317 points. Trading volume decreased by 24.14 percent, and the traded value fell by 22.02 percent, with 787.89 million shares changing hands. Cnergyico PK led the volume chart with 217 million shares traded. Analysts expect increased volatility and profit-taking, as geopolitical developments and oil price fluctuations are likely to continue influencing market trends.",
  "summary": "KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday continued its downward trend despite a bullish opening, as growing concerns on the economic and political fronts kept investors jittery, triggering late selling and forcing the benchmark KSE-100 index to close on a negative note for the second straight session. Topline Securities Ltd said the PSX opened higher, supported by news that the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}