News

Stocks gain on improving investor confidence

The Pakis­tan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its rally on Wednesday, mirroring global market trends and buoyed by easing geopolitical tensions and a sharp uptick in consumer confidence. Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the market remained largely range-bound after Tuesday’s historic second-highest single-day gain. The KSE-100 index moved between an intraday high of 123,2

Tariffs & export expansion

NO country has achieved prosperity by relying solely on its domestic markets. The spectacular success of China, despite having a large market of 1.4 billion people, is primarily attributed to its integration into the world economy. In merely three decades, China has become the top exporting nation. Notably, our neighbours India and Bangladesh have also progressed since 1990 by actively particip

Trade talks with US to conclude next week

Pakis­tan and the United States convened on Wednesday a third round of virtual negotiations on reciprocal tariffs aiming to finalise a trade deal amid concerns over Islamabad’s $3 billion trade surplus with Washington. The negotiations follow Washington’s annou­ncement of potential 29 per cent tariffs on Pakistani exports, which have been temporarily suspended for 90 days to allow space for neg

Trade gap with nine states widens to $11.17bn

Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries widened by 32.82 per cent to $11.17 billion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (FY25), up from $8.41bn in the same period a year earlier, official data showed. While exports to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recorded notable growth — buoyed in part by changing political dynamics in the region — the overall trade

Oil rebounds on strong US demand

Oil prices rose nearly 2 per cent on Wednesday, recovering from a sharp slide early this week, as data showed relatively strong US demand, and as investors assessed the stability of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Brent crude futures were up $1.22, or 1.8pc, at $68.36 a barrel at 12:50pm EDT (1650 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose $1.25, or 1.9pc, to $65.62, both pari