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Biden pushes to triple tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, citing “unfair competition” as he seeks to win blue-collar votes in November’s election. Biden’s call comes as the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced it is launching a probe into China’s trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors in response to a recent petition by five

In meeting with finmin, WB chief assures full support for reforms to stabilise economy

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has held meetings with the presidents of the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in which the former assured his full support for reforms to stabilise the economy and enhance revenues. The minister is currently in Washington to attend the spring meetings organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the WB. In a post on X early W

PSX ends winning streak as investors pause

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday recorded its first decline following six consecutive positive sessions over institutional profit-taking coupled with uncertainty surrounding talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new loan programme and geopolitical tensions. Earlier, trading commenced on a robust note, with the KSE-100 index surging to the intra-day high of 71,092.61 poi

Attock Cement adds new production line

Attock Cement announced on Tuesday the addition of a new production line with an installed capacity of 1.27 million tonnes per annum, expanding the country’s idle capacity at a time when construction activities have remained slow amid elevated inflation and record-high interest rates. The output capacity of the manufacturer of the Falcon brand has risen to a cumulative 4.30 million tonnes per y

Economic woes dampen investor confidence

In a press statement from the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday, it was asserted that Pakistan holds the potential to become an economic leader, provided key economic issues such as devaluation, industrial closures, high utility prices, inflation, and high markup rates are collectively addressed. The statement expressed concern that these factors are dampening the confiden