News

Oil prices inch lower as dollar firms, China Covid worries dent demand

Oil prices slid on Tuesday, extending losses of nearly two per cent in the previous session, as a stronger US dollar and a flare-up in Covid-19 cases in China raised concerns of slowing global demand. Brent crude futures fell 27 cents, or 0.3pc, to $95.92 a barrel by 0342 GMT, after falling $1.73 in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $90.73 a barrel, down 40 cents,

54 countries, including Pakistan, urgently need debt relief: UN

Cascading global crises have left 54 countries — home to more than half of the world’s poorest people — in dire need of debt relief, the Unied Nations said on Tuesday. In a new report, the United Nations Development Programme warned that dozens of developing nations were facing a rapidly deepening debt crisis and that “the risks of inaction are dire.” UNDP said without immediate relief, at l

Dar moves to secure rescheduling of $27bn in bilateral debt

To secure greater breathing space in foreign loan repayments amid tight external account conditions, Pakistan is seeking rescheduling of bilateral debt, which now stands at around $27 billion. “Rescheduling of bilateral debt is fine,” said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar while ruling out rescheduling of international debt from wealthy western nations under Paris Club, multilaterals and international

Stocks climb up on China loan rollover

Bulls dominated trading at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) during the outgoing week with four sessions closing in the green. Investors’ buying interest revived as soon as China agreed to refinance a $2.24 billion loan. Investors took fresh positions as the week began with positive news that the government was engaged in talks on rolling over Chinese SAFE deposits of $2 billion. The week saw l

Stocks snap bullish streak over Moody’s

A four-day winning streak ended at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday as a Moody’s report sparked concerns among investors, who remained cautions while trading stocks. The rating agency downgraded Pakistan’s credit rating to Caa1 from B3. The stock market expected further deterioration in the economic outlook of the country. Despite pessimism, the benchmark KSE100 index registered a steady b