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Pakistan hoping for $7bn IMF package approval in September: finance minister

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday the federal government is making good progress with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and hopes to get board approval in September for a new $7 billion loan programme. The government and the IMF reached an agreement on the 37-month loan programme in July. The IMF said the programme was subject to approval from its executive board and obt

Export of surplus sugar recommended

The Sugar Advisory Board on Wednesday recommended export of 100,000 tonnes of surplus sugar. The recommendation was made at a meeting of the board, presided over by Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain. The meeting reviewed sugar stock and its prices in the country. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tanveer said the country has surplus sugar and no increase in the ex-mill p

IMF loan uncertainty weighs on stocks

As the earnings season nears its end, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) faced a marginal decline on Tuesday amid reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board meeting agenda did not feature approval of a $7 billion loan for Pakistan and uncertainty over securing $3-5 billion in external financing. The trading day started on a strong note, with the KSE-100 index hovering around the ps

Bears dominate market on lack of triggers

Volatility persisted on the stock market as bears tightened their grip, forcing the benchmark index to post losses for the third straight day on Tuesday amid wild fluctuations triggered by uncertainty. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation stated that the market was trending lower as the earnings season neared closing. Reports of the IMF board meeting scheduled for Aug 28 missing the agenda f

FBR sets Sep 30 deadline for filing tax returns

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has set September 30 as the deadline for income tax returns for the financial year 2023-24. According to FBR, those who fail to submit tax returns may face legal action. In case of default, a 0.1 percent penalty will be imposed on the payable tax amount. The minimum penalty on individual filers will be Rs1,000 and Rs50,000 on other categories. As per the tax c