Imports in the second half of the outgoing fiscal year increased significantly, reflecting the easing of restrictions by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on the International Monetary Fund’s directions. The country’s import bill surged to $17.92bn in January-April compared to $25.462bn in July-December FY24. Currency experts said the interbank market was experiencing higher demand for dollar
Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Sunday said that according to both internal and external economic indicators, the country’s “economy is heading in the right direction”. In an interview with Geo News programme Naya Pakistan with Shehzad Iqbal, he said that friendly nations and international economic institutions such as the IMF and World Bank have provided positive signals about Pakistan
Aggressive value-hunting amid expectations of a reduction in the SBP policy rate next month, pushed the benchmark KSE index again above 75,000 on Thursday. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said a slight cut in yields by up to 5bps on different tenors of Pakistan Investment Bonds in the last auction strengthened market hopes for a decrease in the key interest rate as inflation is expected
THE first round of ‘engagement’ between Pakistan and the IMF over the former’s request for a larger and longer programme appears to have concluded — with some bumps still visible. Both sides are believed to have reached an understanding on the reform measures that Islamabad must include in the budget for the next financial year and get approved by parliament before an agreement on a new bailout fa
Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income increased in dollar terms during 2023-24, indicating a revival in the country’s overall output compared to the previous year. However, the economy’s size remains lower than $375.449 billion recorded in FY22, indicating that GDP growth has slowed under the PMLN-led coalition government. On Wednesday, the National Accounts Committee (N