News

Auto sales plunge by 51%

The low purchasing power of consumers coupled with rising car prices have contributed to a 51% decline in automotive sales in September 2022 as compared to the corresponding period last year. “Auto sales are down by 51% to 13,000 units – including the sale of Non-PAMA (Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association) members – year-on-year, amid escalating car prices, expensive auto financing and

Govt to raise Rs7 trillion through bonds

The government has targeted raising over Rs7 trillion by selling various short and long-tenure sovereign bonds to financial institutions over the next three-month period (October-December). This is in response to the devastation caused by the floods and the need to generate more financing to address its aftershocks. On Wednesday, the government borrowed Rs218.3 billion against the pre-announced

Stocks lose 56 points on profit-taking

The shares ma­rket witnessed a range-bound session on Tuesday as investors chose to book profits. Arif Habib Ltd said the benchmark index failed to continue its upward momentum despite opening in the positive zone. Sluggish participation led the benchmark to close in the red zone, it added. The trading volume remained healthy in main-board stocks while hefty volumes were recorded in third-ti

Raising the Bar for Pakistan’s Fintech Ecosystem

Pre-2008, Ahsan Ahmed, the owner of a small clothing store, would make biweekly trips to the post office to send a money order to his family in Lahore. After enduring traffic jams, slow customer service and filling out endless forms, his family would eventually receive the funds three to four working days later. His story points to the fact that before OTC money transfer services like Easypaisa an

Insurance amid calamity

Misfortunes never come singly. That’s one big misfortune for companies that sell insurance against misfortunes. Non-life insurance players in Pakistan are in a tight spot. Calamities have struck their clients one after another, triggering insurance events — occurrences that result in insurance providers paying out on a claim. Premiums should go up correspondingly. Yet their clients refuse to