News

Oil rebounds as China demand recovery optimism supports prices

Crude oil prices rebounded on Wednesday as demand recovery hopes in top importer China following its exit from Covid-19 pandemic curbs provided support after prices dropped in the previous session on concerns about global economic growth. Brent crude futures gained 59 cents, or 0.7 per cent, to $86.72 per barrel by 0214 GMT after falling 2.3pc in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate

PM ready to sacrifice ‘political capital’ at IMF altar

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday indicated that the government was finally ready to swallow the bitter pill of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme. The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance was ready to sacrifice its political career for the sake of the country, he said, addressing the launch of ‘PM Youth Loan Scheme f

Shares rally as SBP rate hike misses market expectations

Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued to rise for the second straight day on Tuesday, with analysts attributing the bounce back to a lower-than-expected increase in the benchmark policy rate. The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 509.56 points, or 1.33 per cent, to reach 38,942.79 points at 9:56am. Intermarket Securities’ Head of Equity Raza Jafri said the index was reacting pos

The explosion of unemployment

Every day thousands of Pakistanis are losing jobs as the ongoing economic crisis deepens further. Just how many millions will become jobless in 2023? Nobody can say for sure. But let’s rephrase the question: What will be the total number of unemployed people by the end of this year, including those that couldn’t find work even before 2023? Estimates vary. But given the current pace of business

Painful for whom?

In the past couple of weeks, politicians from several political parties have come together in a self-professed nonpartisan attempt to generate consensus for economic reforms. Given the magnitude of the economic crisis currently facing Pakistan, and the general lack of clear thinking about solutions, any and all such endeavours are welcome. The composition of this ‘pressure group’ — an ex-prime