Amid rosy economic indicators, like a three-decade low consumer price index (CPI) for March 2025 at 0.7 per cent, a drop in the interest rate to 12pc from 22pc, stability in rupee-dollar parity, a manageable current account deficit and rising remittances, consumers are still facing an uphill battle in purchasing a new or old house/apartment owing to unbearable prices as a result of high constructi
This wheat season has turned out even more punishing for farmers than the last. Buyers are scarce, and market prices have plunged to around Rs2,200-2,300 per maund — far below production costs and nearly half the support price announced for the two crops of 2023 and 2024. Even more concerning, Punjab’s harvest — accounting for nearly 75 per cent of national production — has yet to peak. It’s a bit
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has come under criticism from within and outside for charging hefty fees to consumers for appeals and reviews of regulatory decisions. This emerged after a strong dissenting note from Nepra Member (Tariff) representing Balochistan Mathar Niaz Rana for disallowing on technical grounds a review application from Karachi-based industrial c
China has called on the United States to “completely cancel” its reciprocal tariffs after Washington said exemptions for consumer electronics and key chipmaking equipment may be short-lived. “We urge the US to … take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and return to the right path of mutual respect,” a commerce ministry spokesperson s
The increase in trade tariffs on Pakistani products announced by US President Donald Trump — later suspended temporarily — could have a devastating impact on Pakistan’s important exports and serves as a wake-up call for diversification, according to a state-owned think tank. “A storm may be brewing on Pakistan’s trade horizon,” said the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (Pide), adding