News

Oil prices rise as investors weigh Middle East peace prospects

Oil prices rose over $1 on Thursday, rebounding from the previous day’s sharp losses, as investors weighed the prospects of a Middle East peace deal succeeding. Brent crude futures were up 78 cents, or 0.8%, at $102.05 a barrel at0400 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate gained 76 cents, or 0.8%, to $95.84 a barrel. Both benchmarks slumped more than 7% on Wednesday, hitting two-week lows on optim

Pakistan loses Rs350bn annually to illicit cigarette trade: Philip Morris International tells minister

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan held a detailed meeting with a delegation led by Marco Mariotti, President, CIS & Central Asia, Philip Morris International, to discuss key challenges facing Pakistan’s tobacco sector, including illicit trade, regulatory gaps, and export potential, according to an official statement on Thursday. During the meeting, the delegation briefed the minister

KSE-100 gains over 6,000 points amid US-Iran peace hopes

Massive buying interest was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war. At 2:44pm, the benchmark index was hovering at 170,849.81, up by 6,107.34 points or 3.7

Sugar production encouraging this season: Dar

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM) Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday expressed satisfaction that sugar production this season has been encouraging, noting that this would ensure adequate supply in the market to meet domestic demand while helping maintain price stability. The DPM/FM chaired a high-level meeting to review sugar production at the conclusion of the current crus

FSR for CY25: Financial system’s performance and resilience stay steady: SBP

Financial system’s performance and resilience remained steady and grew by 15.1 percent during last calendar year (CY25), the State Bank of Pakistan reported on Tuesday. The SBP on Tuesday issued its annual flagship publication Financial Stability Review (FSR) for CY25. The FSR presents the performance and risk assessment of various segments of the financial sector. The review highlighted tha