News

What will 2025 bring?

IT has been a heady year that we are saying farewell to. A hard-fought stability was brought to the economy in 2024, but at a steep cost. Politics had to be ended, rights rolled back, and decision-making centralised in the hands of the establishment before any of the stability could be procured. It was done, and here we are. The most ferocious inflationary fire we have ever seen in our history

Will Honda-Nissan merger work amid stiff Chinese competition?

Honda and Nissan expect big benefits from their potential merger to create the world’s third-largest auto group but intense competition from China raises questions about whether they can make it work in time. The Japanese automakers said on Monday they had agreed to begin formal talks on a merger. While the outcome is not certain and will depend partly on troubled Nissan making progress in its tur

IMF, Egypt reach deal unlocking $1.2bn

The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that it has reached a deal with Egyptian authorities allowing the country access to about $1.2 billion. The funding access is subject to executive board approval. “The Egyptian authorities have continued to implement key policies to preserve macroeconomic stability, despite ongoing regional tensions that are causing a sharp decline in Suez Cana

Preparations begin for linking country to new undersea internet cable system

While Pakistan on Tuesday technically disconnected SMW-3 undersea cable, the oldest submarine internet network, at the same time it linked its nodes with the landing station of the new Africa-2 cable network. The new system will be online by the end of next year. The SMW (South Asia-Middle East-West Asia) cable network, the oldest as well as longest in the world, was commissioned in Septembe

Govt raises Rs1.6tr as T-bill yields hold steady

The government raised Rs1.65 trillion through the auction of Treasury Bills (T-bills) and Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) on Tuesday, maintaining stable yields despite last week’s 200 basis points (bps) interest rate cut. This was the first auction held following the rate reduction announced in the Dec 16 Monetary Policy. Market analysts had anticipated a decline in T-bill yields after the int