The country’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries swelled by 62 per cent to $2.917 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year from $1.80bn. Trade experts attributed the surge mainly to increased imports from China, India and Afghanistan. Since the deficit rise remains unchanged from the previous fiscal year, it may cause policymakers big problems. In FY24, the trade d
The financial sector has done well in the last couple of years — with high interest rates, the fixed-income side has been the winner, says Nadir Rahman, CEO of Faysal Asset Management Limited, a subsidiary of Faysal Bank Limited. But in terms of equity, not much has changed, he observes. The companies that were popular a decade ago are still the ones being bought and sold. New companies that do
Not trading with your neighbours doesn’t make sense, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, when asked a question on increasing regional trade, particularly with India. Speaking at a wide-ranging presser, held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, he clarified that while “political connotations” or “geopolitical issues” affecting regional trade were outside his purview, Pakistan w
Pakistan has made appreciable gains in the external sector, particularly in goods exports and remittances during the first quarter of FY25 (July-September 2024). That has helped create a modest current account surplus and kept the rupee relatively stable. However, whether these gains can be sustained in the next three quarters of this year and in the coming years cannot be predicted. Much depen
The prices of major petroleum products — petrol and high speed diesel (HSD) — are estimated to go down by Rs2 to Rs3 per litre with effect from Nov 1 for a fortnight, after a minor reduction in global prices. Informed sources said the average prices of petrol and HSD decreased in the international market by about $1.5 and $2.5 per barrel, respectively, in the last fortnight. Depending on final