News

State-owned entities lost Rs1.4 trillion in two fiscal years

The nation’s state-run commercial entities incurred losses amounting to a staggering Rs1.395 trillion over the fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the latest consolidated report by the Ministry of Finance has revealed. This figure is more than twice the size of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), bringing to light significant concerns regarding financial management and operational efficienc

Stocks drift lower on power tariff hike

The Pakis­tan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended a topsy-turvy Friday in the red following the power sector regulator’s notification of an additional fuel cost adjustment of Rs4.13 per unit for November 2023. The trading on the bourse began on a positive note reversing overnight gloom but the news of a hike in industrial tariff dampened the sentiments which triggered an across-the-board selling. The

Oil falls on massive build in US inventory

Oil prices fell two per cent on Thursday, largely unwinding an earlier rally, as massive weekly gasoline and distillate stock builds overshadowed a larger-than-expected crude stock draw. Brent crude fell by $1.57, or 2pc, to $79.01 a barrel by 11:23am EDT, after earlier rising over $1. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.47, or 2pc, to $73.57. Low fuel demand and large inventory

SBP reserves hit six-month high, shoot above $8.2bn

The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves hit an almost six-month high to $8.221 billion after an inflow of $464 million during the week ending on Dec 29, the central bank announced on Thursday. However, the inflow of $853m in the preceding week helped to increase the SBP’s reserves cumulatively by $1.31bn. Despite this massive increase in two weeks, the rupee did not show

Govt establishes appellate tribunal for telecom sector

Accepting the longstanding demand of the IT, telecom and internet service providers, the government has finally established the Tele­communication Appellate Tribunal. The gazette notification stated that the tribunal will have three members, including the chairperson, who will be a judge of a high court or an advocate with experience of up to 15 years. The tribunal was established under the Tel