Pakistan, June 5 -- KARACHI - After hitting an all-time high on Wednesday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) took a breather on Thursday, with the KSE-100 Index closing down by 157.86 points, or 0.13 percent. The market saw mixed trading as investors booked profits and awaited clarity on the upcoming federal budget.

The index opened on a weak note, falling to an intraday low of 121,517.90 points. However, renewed buying interest pushed the index to a fresh intraday high of 122,281.58 points. Despite this surge, late-session selling trimmed the gains, leading to the index's close at 121,641 points.

Wednesday's record rally of 1,348 points was driven by investor optimism surrounding the federal budget and encouraging news on fiscal and ex...