The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a bearish session on Monday, with its benchmark index declining despite a dramatic surge in trading volume, indicating a day of heightened investor participation and market volatility.

The KSE-100 Index retreated by 248.01 points, or 0.15 percent, to close at 161,687.18. The index recorded significant intraday fluctuation, reaching a high of 163,602.16 and a low of 161,481.69 before settling below its previous close of 161,935.19.

Similarly, the KSE-30 Index also finished in the red, shedding 132.15 points, a 0.27 percent drop, to conclude the day at 48,950.98. The index had previously closed at 49,083.13.

Market activity saw a substantial increase, with turnover in the regular market segment jumping to 1.214 billion shares compared to the 673.45 million shares traded in the prior session. The traded value also rose considerably to PKR 41.37 billion from PKR 34.64 billion.

Despite the downturn in the primary indices, the overall market capitalization registered a slight improvement, climbing to PKR 18.449 trillion from the previous day”s PKR 18.433 trillion.

Activity in the futures market also reflected the trend of increased engagement, with turnover rising to 244.88 million from 185.01 million in the last session.