Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday cautioned the business community that the country cannot afford another boom-and-bust cycle, stressing the need for continued structural reforms to ensure sustainable and equitable prosperity. Speaking at a conference on ‘Retail Reimagined: Innovate, Collaborate & Thrive’, organised by the Pakistan Retail Business Council (PRBC) in Islamabad, the
The stock market continued its upward trend on Wednesday amid an improved economic outlook. Topline Securities Ltd said the market maintained its bullish trajectory as investor sentiment remained upbeat, driven by robust corporate earnings. The benchmark index surged 941 points intraday before closing at 113,342 points, marking a 253-point gain or 0.22 per cent day-on-day. It noted that this
THE signs are coming but the verdict is still awaited. Early indications suggest the much-vaunted economic stabilisation that we have seen since July 2023 is now hitting its peak, and from here on the government will struggle to keep things under control. The key is in the external sector, which measures the inflows and outflows of foreign exchange, primarily dollars. In the period from July to
LAST month’s $420m current account deficit reflects the pressure of debt payment and a rising import bill on Pakistan’s balance-of-payments position, amid drying up foreign loans and falling foreign private investment. This gap most likely marks a temporary reversal of the earlier trend of continuous surplus posted for five consecutive months — August to December — on account of a substantial boos
The foreign direct investment (FDI) surged 56 per cent in the first seven months of FY25. The State Bank reported on Tuesday that the FDI increased by $548 million, or 56pc, to $1.523 billion during July-January FY25 compared to $975m a year ago. The growth is impressive, but the size of the FDI was the poorest in the region. The government has been trying to attract foreign investments but