The World Bank has asked Pakistan to improve its skewed preferential trade agreements with 10 bilateral partners, ensure a market-determined and flexible exchange rate and push deeper reforms to lower energy and other input costs to turbocharge over three decades of declining exports for sustainable economic growth. In a policy advice to the government, the bank observed that nearly all countri
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp downturn on Thursday as the benchmark index extended its losing streak amid heightened volatility, subdued corporate earnings, and heavy rollover activity. The KSE-100 index lost over 1,730 points to settle a little above 156,730. Investor sentiment remained fragile throughout the session, with the market swinging widely before closing deep in
The State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $16 million during the week ended October 24, 2025, reaching $14.471 billion, the central bank reported on Thursday. According to the SBP, the country's total liquid foreign reserves stood at $19.687 billion, of which commercial banks held $5.216 billion in net reserves. Gold prices in Pakistan fell on Thursday, diverg
Customs authorities seized smuggled cigarette paper, filters, packaging material and manufacturing raw material worth over Rs1.3 billion in a raid on a warehouse on the outskirts of Lahore on Thursday. The authorities have launched a large-scale crackdown on cigarette smugglers and tax evaders across Punjab. The latest raid comes two weeks after officials discovered a cache of cigarette-maki
Speakers at a seminar said that the reversal of the 16% tax on rental properties in Punjab has provided major relief to the country's retail community and reflected the success of collective efforts by trade bodies. They emphasised that such reforms have helped stabilise retail operations and created breathing space for organised businesses struggling under economic pressure. They were addressi