News

Govt raises Rs427bn through PIBs’ auction

The government raised Rs427 billion by auctioning Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) on Wednes­day, exceeding the Rs350bn target. The government raised Rs77bn more, reflecting the increasing need for government spending. The banks were also found to be over-liquid as they were willing to invest Rs887bn in the PIBs. Interestingly, the government raised the highest amount of Rs287.6bn for 10 yea

Rs105bn swap deal for Zarai Taraqiati Bank-Pakistan Security Printing Company gets go-ahead

In a Rs105 billion transaction, the government on Wednesday approved swapping of its ownership in Pakistan Security Printing Company (PSPC) to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) against full control of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) to meet a commitment made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Entities (CCoSOE), at a meeting presided over by Finance Minis

Exports to Europe rise 10pc in July-February

Pakistan’s exports to European countries grew 9.41 per cent in the first eight months of the current fiscal year from a year ago, mainly due to higher shipments to western and southern states. In absolute terms, Pakistan’s exports to the European Union (EU) reached $5.921 billion in July- February FY25 from $5.412bn last year, according to data compiled by the State Bank of Pakistan. The exp

ADB warns of risks to Pakistan’s economic recovery

With a 2.5 per cent economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has highlighted several downside risks to Pakistan’s nascent and fragile economic stabilisation and recovery, cautioning against complacency or any deviation from the ongoing IMF programme. In its annual flagship report, Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2025, the Manila-based lending

PSX recovers by 600 points after day of losses

The Pakistan Stock Exchange on Tuesday began to recover as shares gained 622 points, a day after the index experienced losses. The benchmark KSE-100 index was up by 622.95, or 0.54 per cent, to stand at 115,532.43 at closing from the last close of 114,909.48.Yousuf M. Farooq, director research at Chase Securities, said, “The stock market has rebounded from yesterday as Asian markets recover.