The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) on Monday claimed that both interest and exchange rates were being kept artificially high without economic justification, and appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure a correction to support growth and stability. In a statement, PBF Chief Organiser Ahmad Jawad asserted that the fair value of the US dollar was around Rs260, while prevailing inflation
Amid a persistent surge in sugar prices, the government on Monday decided to enforce strict monitoring of sugar stocks and deploy officials at each sugar mill to oversee inventory levels and ensure uninterrupted supply in line with commitments made by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA). The move comes as part of broader efforts to curb hoarding and restore market stability. A grievance
Banks and exchange companies are facing mounting pressure to lower the dollar rate below prevailing market levels, according to sources in the financial sector. An important meeting in Islamabad on Monday, involving senior officials from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Ministry of Finance, and bankers, discussed measures to stabilise the exchange rate and reduce the dollar’s price. How
Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal expressed concern on Monday over the current formula for distribution of divisible pool resources under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, arguing that it places an undue burden on the federal government. He urged the provinces to develop a consensus to help ease the fiscal strain on Islamabad. Speaking to reporters at the Karachi Press Cl
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened the week on a bullish note, briefly crossing the 140,000-point mark, but failed to sustain momentum due to profit-taking. The benchmark KSE-100 index closed marginally higher at 139,380.06, gaining 172.77 points or 0.12 per cent on Monday. Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said another attempt by the PSX to break past the 140,000 psy