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Pakistan proposes signing FTA with UK

Pakistan on Thursday proposed signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Kingdom (UK), terming it a natural progression of the growing economic partnership between the two countries. The proposal was floated during a meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Director General (Political) of the United Kingdom Edward Llewellyn. British High Commissioner Jane Marri

US crude jumps over 11pc

US oil prices settled more than 11% higher and Brent soared nearly 8 percent on Thursday in volatile trading, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply the day after President Donald Trump said the United States would continue attacks on Iran. Brent crude futures closed USD7.87, or 7.78 percent, higher at USD109.03 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose USD11

KSE-100 gains over 5,000 points amid war de-escalation hopes

Bulls roared back at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) amid hopes of a de-escalation in the Iran-US war, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 5,000 points during the trading session on Wednesday. At 10:55am, the benchmark index was hovering at 153,764.13, up by 5,020.82 points or 3.38%. Buying momentum was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial

Asia markets rally on optimism Iran war could end soon

Stocks and bonds rallied and the dollar wallowed at the ‌start of the Asian trading session on Wednesday on hopes of a de-escalation in the Iran conflict, while significantly better-than-expected economic data for March propelled a rebound in Korean and Japanese shares. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 2.7%, snapping a four-day losing streak as South Korea’s Kos

OPEC oil output plunges in March: Survey

OPEC oil output plunged in March to its lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, a Reuters survey found, as the US-Israeli war against Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and forced export cuts. Crude output by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members in March fell by 7.3 million barrels per day month-on-month to 21.57 million bpd, the surve