Pakistan and the United States convened on Wednesday a third round of virtual negotiations on reciprocal tariffs aiming to finalise a trade deal amid concerns over Islamabad’s $3 billion trade surplus with Washington. The negotiations follow Washington’s announcement of potential 29 per cent tariffs on Pakistani exports, which have been temporarily suspended for 90 days to allow space for neg
Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries widened by 32.82 per cent to $11.17 billion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (FY25), up from $8.41bn in the same period a year earlier, official data showed. While exports to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recorded notable growth — buoyed in part by changing political dynamics in the region — the overall trade
Oil prices rose nearly 2 per cent on Wednesday, recovering from a sharp slide early this week, as data showed relatively strong US demand, and as investors assessed the stability of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Brent crude futures were up $1.22, or 1.8pc, at $68.36 a barrel at 12:50pm EDT (1650 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose $1.25, or 1.9pc, to $65.62, both pari
The Trump administration’s tariff plans may well just cause a one-time jump in prices, but the risk it could cause more persistent inflation is large enough for the central bank to be careful in considering further rate cuts, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told a US Senate panel on Wednesday. Though economic theory may point to tariffs as a one-off shock to prices, “that is not a law of na
Retail payment volumes rose by 12 per cent year-on-year to 2,408 million transactions in the third quarter of FY25, while the overall transaction value increased by 8pc to Rs164 trillion, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. In its third Quarterly Payment System Review released on Wednesday, the SBP noted that digital channels accounted for 89pc of all retail transactions, reflecting the on