DEFYING market expectations of a 100-300 bps hike in the interest rates, the State Bank has again left its key policy rate unchanged at 22pc. In support of its decision, the bank cites a declining trend in inflation from its peak of 38pc in May to 27.4pc last month, despite the recent surge in global oil prices that are being passed on to consumers. Therefore, it maintains that the “real int
EVEN after the country’s rulers dangled the carrot of foreign investments amounting up to $70 billion in front of them, experts, bankers and analysts in Pakistan are finding it hard to digest the prospect of such massive inflows, given the tattered state of our fundamentals. After the formation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the general impression is that the armed force
The unexpected massive increase in petrol and diesel prices was widely felt as inflationary at the retail level and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) may have to review its decision of leaving the key interest rate unchanged. Many analysts believe that the inflation would be in the range of 30-31 per cent in the ongoing month which is against the SBP’s expectation to bring it down to 20-22pc.
National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Chairman Waseem Mukhtar has said there was no other option but to take some harsh decisions to make the power sector sustainable. Talking to the media after attending an energy conference on Saturday, the power sector regulator head said the situation has reached a point where such decisions have become imperative for the government and
Business leaders on Saturday said the massive hike in prices of petroleum products would further fuel the unprecedented inflation, intensify miseries for the common man and create serious issues for the industry due to the unbearably high cost of doing business. They criticised the caretaker government that it should have kept the prices of petroleum unchanged due to the falling landing cost of