During the first half of this fiscal year (July-Dec 2023), the current account deficit fell to just $831 million from a whopping $3.63 billion in the same period of last year. Also, net foreign direct investment (FDI) in July-Dec 2023 rose 35 per cent to $862.6m from $640m in July-Dec 2023, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). One can expect a substantial increase in FDI as foreign in
The Investment and Climate Summit organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) underscored the US government’s commitment to fostering foreign direct investments (FDI), elevating bilateral trade between the two countries, and addressing Pakistan’s climate change challenges. A key highlight of the summit was the USAID Green Alliance Gaming Challenge Awards, which c
The Track and Trace System (TTS) implemented by the FBR was failing, with a rising incidence of fake stamps being affixed to counterfeit packs of prominent cigarette brands. Senior officials of the tobacco industry on Monday decried a lack of enforcement measures in the sector, expressing concerns about the sustainability of this business as Pakistani markets were flooded with smuggled and coun
Oil prices rose about two per cent on Monday as traders weighed the impact of wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and extreme cold weather across North America on oil supply against a bullish US stock market signalled demand growth. Brent March crude futures rose $1.17, or 1.5pc, to $79.73 a barrel by 10:41 a.m. CST (1641 GMT). The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude futures contrac
Borrowing by the private sector has gone down by 86.3 per cent to Rs57.4 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year, from Rs419bn during the same period of last year. Only the Islamic banks were able to extend loans to the private sector during the first half of the current fiscal year, reflecting an extremely poor performance by both the private sector and lenders. Since the e