After witnessing a net divestment in December 2022, the foreign direct investment (FDI) more than doubled to $222 million in January compared to $110m inflows recorded in the same month last year. The State Bank of Pakistan’s latest data issued on Monday showed that FDI improved mainly on inflows from China and Japan. Due to persistent political and economic uncertainties, the FDI inflows pl
Pakistan joined 26 other nations on Monday in urging US lawmakers to expedite legislation for the renewal of the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) programme for developing countries. Instituted in 1971, with support from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, GSP is a tariff waiver programme on nearly 5,000 products from over 120 countries. Pakistan is a member of the 2
Despite clearly lacking quorum, the National Assembly after a lackluster debate on Monday passed the IMF-dictated Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023, seeking to impose additional Rs170 billion taxes with minor amendments as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar held the mismanagement in the power sector and poor economic policies of the previous PTI regime mainly responsible for this economic burden on the ma
Share prices oscillated within a short range on Thursday before closing on the lower side owing to a sharp increase in the rates of petroleum products. Arif Habib Ltd said investors’ participation remained sluggish even though they sold shares in the last trading hour to book profits across the board. Other negative triggers for the index’s downward slide included a rise in the yields of gov
A sense of quiet despair hangs thick in the air. With Ramazan around the corner and Eid to follow right after, the inflation-weary citizenry must once again sit down for the depressing task of trimming their household budgets if they wish to continue to make ends meet. Even those who have been lucky to keep their heads above the water despite wave after wave of inflation will soon find it a challe