News

SBP’s reserves rise, banks’ fall by $116m

The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves have remained around $9 billion since the IMF’s $1.1 billion arrival in April, reflecting no other inflows. The central bank reported on Thursday that its reserves increased by a meagre $16 million to $9.109bn during the week ended May 31 without mentioning the source of this inflow. However, the reserves of the commercial banks fe

Rs3.33 per unit hike for April notified

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday notified Rs3.33 per unit additional fuel cost against consumption in April to enable ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) to raise another Rs29 billion in June as the government confirmed on record a minor impact of solar net metering on electricity sales. Nepra “has reviewed and assessed a National Average Uniform increas

FBR to miss FY24 target by Rs175bn ‘due to stay orders’

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has estimated a shortfall of Rs175 billion in the current fiscal year (2023-24), as the superior courts have suspended the implementation of new measures announced by the government to tax the rich. “We have informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the amount stuck due to decisions by superior courts,” a tax official told Dawn on Thursday. The courts st

Stocks under pressure over policy rate concerns

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday continued its bearish trend and lost nearly 450 points amid uncertainty surrounding the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)’s policy rate announcement ahead of the federal budget presentation. Earlier, the market opened on a positive note but soon investor sentiment turned bearish as the day progressed. The KSE-100 index took a deep dive before midday as conc

PSX against tax-driven distortions in asset classes

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has submitted tax proposals to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for consideration in the federal budget for fiscal year 2024-25, submitting that the government should align rates of capital gains tax (CGT) on the sale of stocks with those applicable to the sale of property and real estate. PSX said it was important to remove the