News

Services exports increase 6pc

Services’ exports rebounded year-on-year in February after contracting in the preceding four months, according to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The services exports reached $627.05 million in February, marking a 6.11 per cent increase from the $590.96m in the corresponding month last year. In rupee terms, the export of services grew 11.08pc in February to

CCP issues notices to urea makers

The Com­p­­etition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has issued show-cause notices to the Fertiliser Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC) and six leading fertililiser companies for allegedly fixing urea prices, a prima facie violation of Section 4 of the Competition Act 2010. Urea prices play a crucial role in determining the prices of essential food commodities. Any arbitrary increas

Liberalising economy can unlock trillions

The Pakistan Institute of Devel­opment Economics (Pide), a state-owned think tank, has asked the government to shift gear from bureaucratic permissions to rule-based market liberalisation, exploit over Rs300 billion annual revenue potential from real estate through transparency, generate gains in agriculture sector worth Rs1.7 trillion and open up public land in Islamabad worth Rs2.2tr for private

Economic worries weigh on stocks

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday displayed a mixed performance but registered losses as profit-taking intensified towards the end of March quarter amid growing concerns over economic uncertainty. In the morning, trading began on a robust note, with the KSE-100 index touching its intra-day high of 67,304.36 points. However, the positive momentum died down before midday following release o

Trade deficit expands 56% in March

Pakistan’s trade deficit widened over 56% in March 2024 because of a sudden increase in imports, underscoring the challenges being faced by the external sector stability that still hinges on administrative controls. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Monday that the gap between exports and imports increased 56.3% to $2.2 billion in March over a year ago. In absolute terms, there was an