Where to invest in midst of a storm?

Ishaq Dar’s boastful comeback has deepened Pakistan’s economic turmoil. In a fairly short stint, Mr Dar has not only worsened his party’s political prospects but has also brought Pakistan on the verge of defaulting on external debt despite taking over the baton after Pakistan secured the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s clubbed seventh and eighth tranches. Finding himself short on time and alternatives, Mr Dar reluctantly caved into accepting the IMF conditionalities. The consumer price index has already clocked in at a 48-year high of 27.6 per cent for January. Regrettably, it only captures the partial impact of the steep plunge in the rupee and premature petrol price hike and is also not due to the low-base effect either. Hence, the worst of the ongoing inflationary spiral is yet to come. In these extremely testing times, it becomes pertinent to understand the ideal avenues where one can invest to protect hard-earned money from losing its value in real terms. Pakistan has had an abysmal saving rate historically and, in the prevailing conditions, people would be unable to save much of what they earn.