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Govt urged to revive five-year development planning

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Pakistan to revive its five-year development planning, get climate-sensitive public investment management plans working and publish criteria for project appraisals for transparency to attract global climate financing. The IMF’s guidance comes immediately after the two sides reached a staff-level agreement on the first review of a $3 billion bail

Stocks rally to historic high above 57,000 level

The KSE-100 Index surged beyond the 57,000-point level, concluding the trading session at a new record high on Thursday. Topline Securities Ltd said the upward trend was a result of the successful staff-level agreement reached between the Inter­national Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistani authorities under a $3 billion Stand-By Arrang­ement. Furthermore, the auction of treasury bills held a da

Rupee snaps 17-session losing streak

An assurance from the International Monetary Fund about the success of talks with Islamabad helped tilt the exchange rate in favour of the rupee on Thursday. The dollar depreciated after 17 consecutive appreciations in the inter-bank market. The IMF, however, expressed reservations by saying that the rupee must remain market-determined to alleviate external pressures and rebuild reserves. Th

President Xi tells US firms China ready to be partner, friend

China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States, and there is plenty of room for bilateral cooperation, President Xi Jinping told American executives in San Francisco on Wednesday, as Beijing looks to reassure global business and counter his country’s struggles to entice foreign investment. The US executives dined with Xi on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (A

IMF conditions suppress growth: industry leaders

Extending a cautious welcome to the Staff-Level Agreement, the business community believes that the time has come to generate more resources to boost trade and industry instead of approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF) again in April next year. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said the business community stood by the govern