News

Gold shines at new peak near Rs250,000 per tola

A $20 per ounce jump in world gold rates on Tues­day pushed the local 10-gram and one-tola prices to new all-time highs of Rs214,077 and Rs249,700, respectively, up Rs2,057 and Rs2,400 from Monday. As per rates issued by the All Sindh Saraf and Jewellers Association (ASSJA), the international gold price swelled to $2,391 per ounce, an all-time high amid escalating tension after the Iranian atta

Large-scale manufacturing sector grows for third month in Feb

The quantum of large-scale manufacturing (LSM) rose 0.06 per cent in February, its third increase in a row, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The quantum index of LSM industries was 126.01 points in February compared to 125.93 in the same month last year. However, the index for the month was 4.14pc lower than for the previous month, Jan­­uary 2024, w

Pakistan to grow at 2pc, face 25pc inflation: IMF

Notwithstanding a relatively better global outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday maintained Pakistan’s economic growth prospects for the current fiscal year at two per cent, which it had revised downward in January from its previous estimate of 2.5pc. In its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO 2024), released on Tuesday, the IMF kept the country’s growth rate at 3.5pc for t

Biden pushes to triple tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, citing “unfair competition” as he seeks to win blue-collar votes in November’s election. Biden’s call comes as the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced it is launching a probe into China’s trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors in response to a recent petition by five

In meeting with finmin, WB chief assures full support for reforms to stabilise economy

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has held meetings with the presidents of the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in which the former assured his full support for reforms to stabilise the economy and enhance revenues. The minister is currently in Washington to attend the spring meetings organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the WB. In a post on X early W