China is owed more than a trillion dollars through its Belt and Road project, making it the biggest debt collector in the world, a report said this week, with an estimated 80 per cent of the loans supporting countries in financial distress. Beijing says upwards of 150 countries stretching from Uruguay to Sri Lanka have signed up to the BRI, a vast global infrastructure push unveiled by Presiden
The benchmark of the national bourse exceeded in the outgoing week its all-time high of 52,876 points that it achieved in May 2017. Arif Habib Ltd said the outgoing week began with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) maintaining its policy rate at 22pc. The decision reflected that inflation had peaked and was expected to ease off in the near future. Furthermore, the federal cabinet approved a m
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finally announced the delayed elections on February 8 as the country’s moribund economy grapples with overlapping political and security crises. The polls were supposed to have taken place within 90 days of parliament’s dissolution on August 9, but the ECP delayed the exercise on the pretext of redrawing constituency boundaries after the latest digi
The budget reflects a nation’s immediate and long-term fiscal priorities, serving as more than just an accounting document. The current state of Pakistan’s budget suggests that it has become primarily an accounting representation, lacking comprehensive fiscal planning for both the present and the future. There is a prevalent misconception that post-election, all challenges will automatically re
The dollar has fast-tracked regaining its lost ground as it reached closer to Rs285 in the interbank market after hitting its lowest in the middle of October. Amid drying up inflows coupled with strong demand from importers, the greenback maintained its bull run by gaining Rs7.7 or 2.8 per cent in the last 10 sessions. Currency experts counted several reasons which ended the rupee’s winning