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Afghanistan registered trade surplus with Pakistan: report

Afghanistan registered a trade surplus of $79 million with Pakistan, one of its largest trading partners, from July 2021 to June 2022, according to the latest report by an official US monitoring agency, known as SIGAR. The report — prepared for the US Congress by the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) — noted that Afghanistan’s currency, the Afghani,

Oil slips as dollar firms, but supply worries check losses

Oil futures fell early on Thursday as the dollar firmed on the US Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance, but concerns over looming supply risks kept a floor under prices. Brent crude shed 44 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to $95.72 a barrel at 0146 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures retreated 59 cents, or 0.7pc, to $89.41. The benchmarks settled up more than $1 on Wednesday, aided

Banks post highest-ever quarterly profits

The July-September quarter brought to the country’s banking industry the highest-ever three-month profits, a review of earnings data of 16 commercial banks showed on Wednesday. According to Shameer Alam Zaidi, analyst at Ismail Iqbal Securities Ltd, bank earnings clocked in at Rs85 billion in July-September, up 26 per cent from a year ago. Major drivers for the record-high earnings were high

Pakistan, China ink yuan clearing deal

The central banks of Pakistan and China signed a memorandum of cooperation on yuan clearing in Pakistan, the Chinese central bank said in a statement on Wednesday, without giving more details. The arrangement could pave the way for an alternative payment option for Pakistan, boosting yuan usage for cross-border transactions among Chinese and Pakistani enterprises and financial institutions.

Stocks partially recover overnight losses

The uncertain political situation kept investors away from active market participation on Monday. JS Global said the range-bound activity is likely to continue going forward. The main opposition party led by former premier Imran Khan is holding a long march to the capital to demand early general elections. “We recommend investors should wait for political clarity before availing this downsid