News

Rupee depreciates to 5-week low

Pakistani currency on Thursday hit a five-week low at Rs278.48 against the US dollar in the inter-bank market, maintaining its downward trend over the past one month amid speculation about lower supply of the foreign currency and an uptick in its demand in the market. According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) data, the rupee shrank 0.03%, or Rs0.09, and closed at Rs278.48 against the gree

SBP buys over $5b from interbank

The central bank has purchased over $5 billion from the market during this fiscal year, a record amount that is equal to two-thirds of Pakistan’s official foreign exchange reserves and also far higher than the size of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package. While the central bank’s intervention has kept foreign currency reserves stable at $8 billion despite heavy debt repayments,

The looming test

AS a new-found stability settles across the land all eyes are turning towards its durability. The current account has been registering persistent surpluses for a number of months now, and looks set to complete this fiscal year in positive territory if present trends continue. The primary balance on the fiscal account was also in surplus until December, with all indications suggesting it will comfo

Faysal bank earns Rs6.5bn

Faysal Bank Ltd (FBL) continued its growth stride during the first quarter of 2024, with a profit after tax doubled to Rs6.5 billion compared to Q12023. Earnings per share increased from Rs2.12 to Rs4.29, while the bank also declared an interim cash dividend of Re1 per share.

Govt plans urea imports to ensure price stability

Amid continuously rising domestic prices, the government on Thursday decided to import at least 200,000 tonnes of urea to meet ongoing kharif requirements. Subject to the proverbial endorsement by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its upcoming meeting, a decision to import urea was taken at a meeting of the Fertiliser Review Committee (FRC) presided over by Minister fo