Trading in the stock market started in the outgoing week on a positive note as parliament passed the mini-budget aimed at generating additional Rs170 billion. Arif Habib Ltd said another positive trigger was the decline of $7.76bn in the current account deficit in the first seven months of 2022-23 to $3.8bn, thanks to a massive reduction in imports. However, conditions in the stock market start
THIS story is about a country where the elites completely control politics and the economy. The elites are disproportionately overrepresented in parliament as money literally buys votes. The elites also dominate the economy as even though they are less than 0.5 per cent of the population, they hold almost 30pc of all private wealth. Predictably, this country is the poorest place in the wider re
Pakistan needs to end this practice of sending its economy to the intensive care unit (ICU) for resurrection, says Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar. The minister made this statement at a news conference on Friday, at the end of a three-day visit to Washington during which he also represented Pakistan at the official trade and investment conference. “We need to end this cycle of taking loa
You might have faced this situation once or twice, or maybe never. People living from paycheque to paycheque often find it extremely difficult to manage an emergency like hospitalisation, an unexpected unbudgeted expense, or a utility bill payment in the last days of a month. What options do they have? Borrow from friends and family or ask for an advance on their salaries? In these times of eco
With petroleum prices increasing to Rs277 per litre, the fuel cost burden for a motorcycle owner will significantly increase. Pakistan needs to move fast towards electric motorcycle adoption to provide relief to these lower-middle and middle-class households. This requires enabling market-driven approaches with the government playing a facilitator role. Assuming an average of one-litre consumpt