The government on Monday conceded contraction in two of the three major real economic sectors — agriculture and industry — signalling slower than targeted economic growth but said Pakistan was “well-positioned for continued growth momentum in the current year on the back of IMF supported policy reforms, monetary easing and fiscal consolidation”. In its half-yearly “State of Economy Report”, the
A Senate subcommittee on Monday ordered a complete audit of all solar panel imports since 2018 after showing dissatisfaction with a probe into Rs70 billion worth of under- and over-invoicing by two importers through the involvement of commercial banks. After a meeting of its subcommittee, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, led by Senator Mohsin Aziz, announced that fresh reve
Mixed news flow kept the equities market highly volatile, pushing the benchmark KSE 100 index close the outgoing week in the red amid uncertainty about the country’s economic and political outlook. The investor’s nervousness stemmed particularly after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States and a slew of executive orders issued by him, including the imposition of
With the threat of a new trade war hovering over its head, the world is trying to figure out how to deal with President Donald Trump’s second presidency. The day after he was sworn in as the 47th president of the US, a panel of experts at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos were discussing “how the global reception to his second presidency ran the gamut from excitement to fear”. Whether afr
If the ceasefire in the Middle East evolves into lasting peace, the resulting global peace dividends will be significant. Pakistan, in particular, could benefit from reduced business costs due to stable shipping routes, expanded opportunities for trade, investment, and economic cooperation with its Western neighbours and Gulf countries, and a likely surge in remittances as reconstruction efforts c