THE cut in the interest rate to 12 per cent from 22pc in June 2024 is reviving auto financing at a snail’s pace as either the monthly instalments are still unaffordable or the consumers are waiting for a further drop in instalments after a possible future interest rate cut. For the last few months, banks and assemblers have been trying hard to lure buyers through promotional offers and lowering
THE country’s economy continues to demonstrate mixed positive and negative trends with a hazy long-term outlook as multiple problems are yet to be effectively addressed by basic structural reforms. On the positive side, a record number of 3,442 companies across diverse sectors were registered in a single month by the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan in January, reflecting a 39 per cen
PAKISTAN’S total foreign exchange reserves rose to $16.04 billion by the end of January 2025 from $13.99bn in June 2024, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This means that during the first seven months of this fiscal year, $2.05bn has been added to the reserves. However, the $11.42bn held by the SBP is still insufficient to cover three months of import bills. The remaining reserves,
CLIMATE change is a pressing reality for Pakistan, directly impacting millions of lives. Ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change despite contributing just 0.88 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan faces a dire crisis with severe implications. The far-reaching effects of climate change in Pakistan underscore the urgency of the issue. Rising temperatures, er
THE water requirements of Pakistan’s agriculture sector, which consumes nearly 90 per cent of the nation’s water, continue to rise due to multiple factors. The sector is striving to meet the food demand of a growing population by increasing crop yields, improving cropping intensity, and expanding cultivated land by reclaiming barren areas like Cholistan. All of these rely, in varying degrees, on w