News

Half-yearly auto sales remain sluggish

As the entire auto sector, barring tractors, faced a steep fall in sales ranging from 14 per cent to 56pc during the first half of 2023-24, the general elections on Feb 8 also failed to lift the sales of Toyota pickups, jeeps and SUVs. Surging prices along with unprecedented interest rates turning car financing into a more expensive ride have continued to cast gloom on sales. Total car sales

Govt fails to woo a single investor for solar project

In a major setback, no bid was received for setting up a 600-megawatt solar power project at Muzaffargarh despite multiple revisions in incentives and extensions in deadlines given by the Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) — a one-window power sector entity of the federal government. This was the first pilot project for the acquisition of renewable energy through international competit

Concerns mount within FBR about ‘reforms’

The proposed restructuring of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has heightened uncertainty within the field formation due to escalating tensions among tax groups concerning the nature and extent of the reforms, Dawn has learned from knowledgeable sources. This uncertainty could potentially affect revenue collection, a concern that is particularly significant given the current political instabi

IMF board nod allows disbursement of $700m

In a significant development, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Thursday that it had successfully concluded the first review of Pakistan’s economic reform programme, backed by the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), paving the way for an immediate disbursement of SDR 528 million, equivalent to approximately $700m. This latest disbursement brings the cumulative to

Stocks fall below 64,000 level in five sessions

Bearish sentiments persisted in the stock market for the fifth consecutive session mainly due to pre-poll uncertainty which drag­ged the benchmark KSE-100 index below the 64,000-point level on Wednesday. Topline Securities Ltd said equities moved in both directions. Initially, the index made an intraday high at 64,551 ( a gain of 380.37 points). However, profit-taking at the aforesaid level wip