News

Russia almost doubles LPG exports to Central Asia, Afghanistan this year

Russia has almost doubled exports of liquefied petroleum gas in the January - November period to ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia and Afghanistan to 1.016 million metric tons, industry sources told Reuters on Friday. Moscow has had to divert supplies of LPG, or propane and butane, from Europe, which introduced restrictions on LPG imports from Russia in December 2024 over the war in Ukraine.

Precious metals retreat, silver holds near $80/ounce

Precious metals pulled back on Monday, with silver trading near the $80 per ounce mark after hitting a record high earlier in the day and gold easing from near record highs, on profit-booking and geopolitical tailwinds cooling safe-haven demand. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $4,512.30 per ounce, as of 0426 GMT, after hitting a record high of $4,549.71 on Friday. US gold futures for February del

Oil rises as investors weigh outcome of Trump–Zelenskiy meeting

Oil prices rose on Monday as investors weighed the outcome of talks between the US and Ukrainian presidents on a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine, as well as Middle East tensions that could disrupt supply. Brent crude futures rose 63 cents, or 1.04%, to $61.27 per barrel at 0443 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 58 cents, or 1.02%, to $57.32. Both benchmark prices fe

Intra-day update: rupee records gain against US dollar

The Pakistani rupee strengthened against the US dollar, appreciating 0.04% during the opening minutes of trading in the inter-bank market on Monday. At 10am, the local currency was hovering at 280.05, a gain of Re0.12 against the greenback. During the previous week, the Pakistan rupee posted a marginal gain as it appreciated by Re0.08 or 0.03% against the US dollar in the inter-bank market.

Gold outshines all, emerges as Pakistan’s best-performing asset in 2025

Gold dominated Pakistan’s asset landscape in 2025, emerging as the best-performing investment as both domestic and international prices posted sharp gains over the year. In Pakistan, gold delivered an exceptional 73% return in PKR terms, Topline Securities revealed in its report, with prices rising from Rs233,711 per 10 grams at the start of the year to Rs405,402 per 10 grams by late December.