News

Index posts 2.7pc weekly gain amid positive indicators

Trading on the stock exchange commenced on a positive note in the outgoing week fuelled by the contraction of the trade deficit by 42 per cent on a year-on-year basis to $5.3 billion in the first quarter of 2023-24. Arif Habib Ltd said the expectation of robust financial results for the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year kept the stock market participants’ interest alive. Urea and DAP sal

College degrees losing their shine?

Close to 2010, following the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 and the ensuing economic downturn, middle-class Pakistanis began to lose their unwavering trust in higher education. By 2011, over 50 per cent of graduates and post-graduates found themselves without work or in jobs that didn’t fully utilise their qualifications. While a bachelor’s (or master’s) degree was once seen as a surefire pa

The research and development imperative for businesses

In today’s dynamic global economy, research and development (R&D) serve as a pivotal driver of progress, nurturing the birth of innovative products, state-of-the-art technologies, and revolutionary methods to connect with clients to enhance market share and profit margins. Nevertheless, amidst its unquestionable importance, a worrisome trend has surfaced within Pakistan’s business realm — a hes

Demand destruction of oil

In an opinion piece dated September 11 carried in the Financial Times, Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA, said the world was heading towards the end of the fossil fuel era. “The age of seemingly relentless growth for fossil fuel demand is at the beginning of the end,” Mr Birol, the guru of the energy world, underlined. “This is the first time that a peak in demand is visible for

The inflation conundrum

In a recent Dawn article, the authors — a former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), chairman of Habib Bank Limited and president of Bank of Punjab — have discussed in detail a serious problem of Pakistan’s economy: unsustainably high level of currency in circulation (CIC). Apart from unleashing other miseries in the economy and society, consistent buildup in CIC keeps fueling inflati