The stock market failed to sustain its record gains on Wednesday, retreating into the red as profit-taking and concerns over the delayed privatisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) weighed on investor sentiment. The KSE-100 index closed at 139,254.36, down 165.26 points or 0.12pc, after hitting an intraday high of 140,202.18 and a low of 139,105.05. The index remained range-bound throughout
CONSIDER two things carefully. First, the burden on compliant taxpayers is spiralling higher and higher every year, with a marked acceleration in the preceding three years. Second, dollar-buying by the State Bank is continuing with unchecked ferocity, leaving behind little for the rest and starving private markets. Both these phenomena are symptoms of a single problem: a state apparatus that ca
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected Pakistan’s economy to grow at a steady pace of 3pc in FY26, even as it lowered growth forecasts for the broader Asian region amid global trade uncertainty. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2025, released on Wednesday, the ADB noted that Pakistan’s provisional growth for FY25 was revised upward to 2.7pc, from its earlier projection of 2.
Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday signed an Early Harvest Programme (EHP) to reduce tariffs on eight agricultural items for one year, laying the foundation for a broader preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries. The EHP, which takes effect on Aug 1, will remain in force for one year and is renewable. It also allows for the future inclusion of additional items, making it
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to intensify enforcement efforts to boost revenue collection during the current fiscal year and ensure the achievement of the annual target. The directive was issued during a meeting chaired by the premier to review progress on FBR reforms. He received a detailed briefing on the status of key tax reform initiatives an