The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), in collaboration with ILO, held an awareness session in Lahore on ILO Recommendation for SME formalization in the textile and auto value chains. Muhammad Asif, DGM SME Division, SMEDA, delivered an engaging session on the benefits of transitioning from informal to formal operations, including improved productivity, market access, a
Oil prices dipped on Tuesday as supply concerns eased with the resumption of loadings at a Russian export hub, briefly halted by a Ukrainian drone and missile strike, while traders continued to assess the impact of Western sanctions on Russian flows. Brent crude futures were down 28 cents, or 0.4%, at $63.92 a barrel, as of 0100 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 26 c
Bulls continued to make further inroads at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 400 points during the intra-day trading on Monday. Stocks kicked off the week on a positive note, as the KSE-100 Index hit an intra-day high of 163,602.15 during the opening hours of trading. At 12:40pm, the benchmark index was hovering at 162,348.94, an increase of 413
Pakistan’s Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER), a measure of the value of a currency against a weighted average of several foreign currencies, witnessed further increase as it clocked in at 103.95 in October 2025, up from 101.70 (revised) in September 2025, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday showed. A REER above 100 means the country’s exports are uncompetitive, while i
Most Gulf stock markets fell in early trade on Monday, tracking weaker oil prices, as investors awaited a raft of US economic data following the end of the government shutdown. Oil, a key driver for Gulf financial markets, slipped as loadings resumed at the key Russian export hub of Novorossiysk after a two-day suspension at the Black Sea port that had been hit by a Ukrainian attack. Brent was