News

Wholesale sugar price continues to increase

As the federal government and millers plan to provide sugar at Rs130 per kg nationwide, the wholesale price of the sweetener continues to rise ahead of Ramazan. Retailers in Karachi are already charging Rs160 per kg, saying that they could not sustain frequent hikes in wholesale rates as the 50 kg bag price has continuously risen by Rs150-200 per bag for the last few days. Karachi Wholesaler

Govt denies external pressure over IPP deals

While denying any external pressure during negotiations with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Power Secretary Fakhar Alam Irfan told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Power on Wednesday that violations by IPPs had been identified. Committee chair Muhammad Idrees expressed concern over the poor performance of Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lescoo) and asked to strengthen its ac

PSX modestly higher over economic cues

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday closed modestly higher as it took cue from robust financial results in key sectors. The KSE-100 index reached the high of 115,890 during the day, before settling at 114,528, an increase of 198 points. Bullish activity was driven by several factors including an anticipated reduction in industrial power tariffs, low inflation, the potential privatisation o

Local schemes needed for SMEs

Business leaders said fostering Pakistan-based financing schemes can promote both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local products, stressing that the government should provide loans for infrastructure and raw materials of economic establishments rather than wasting time and funds on training and capacity building. Talking to The Express Tribune on Monday, they shared their views wh

Bitcoin reels below $90,000

Bitcoin hit its lowest in over three months on Tuesday, as nerves in markets over US tariffs reinforced the blow to crypto investor confidence from last week's $1.5 billion hack of ether from the Bybit exchange. Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value, broke below $90,000 to its lowest since November 18, falling by as much as 7.5% at one point. It was last down 5% on the day