What is Circuit Breakers on the PSX?
PSX circuit breakers cap how far a stock can move in one session — for most stocks, ±10% of the previous close or Rs 1, whichever is higher. Separate index-level halts pause the entire market during extreme moves.
How it works
The per-stock band means a fast-moving name simply stops trading at the limit (locked limit-up or limit-down) until opposing orders arrive. Multi-day trends therefore unfold as sequences of capped sessions rather than single large gaps.
Market-wide halts trigger on large intraday moves in the benchmark index, pausing trading to let leverage and panic clear. Traders track limit-locked stocks as a gauge of one-sided pressure.
Common questions
How much can a PSX stock move in one day?
Under the standard price limit, ±10% of the previous close or Rs 1, whichever is higher. The Rs 1 alternative matters for very low-priced shares, letting them move more than 10% in percentage terms.