Pakistani rupee eased by 15 paisa (-0.09 percent) against the US dollar on Thursday, ending the two-day winning streak. The State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement that the dollar opened at Rs176.23 in the interbank market and closed at Rs176.38. The rupee witnessed a trading range of 15 paisa during the session, showing the intraday high bid of 176.35 and low offer of 176.20. Within the open market, the rupee was traded at 177.50/178.50 per dollar. The local currency remained on the defensive against the American dollar despite the latter entering a sell-off spiral on Wednesday in the global markets following the release of US inflationary figures for December. Inflation rose by 7 percent, the fastest annual rate since 1982, a sign that inflationary pressures are far from receding amid surging consumer demand and overburdened supply chains. However, on a month-on-month basis, prices rose from the prior month by 0.5 percent in December, easing from a 0.8 percent gain in November. Overall Pakistan rupee has gained 29 paisa against the US dollar during the last four days, while it has depreciated by 43 paisa during the current year 2022. The local unit has depreciated by Rs18.95 during the ongoing fiscal year 2021-22. The experts were of the view that trade and current account deficits due to rising import bill and depletion in the foreign exchange reserves are major threats to the rupee’s stability. The trade deficit ballooned by 106 percent to $25.48 billion in the first half of the current fiscal year 2021-22 due to a massive surge in imports, which touched $40.50 billion. Likewise, foreign exchange reserves also fell to $24.02 billion from $24.27 billion a week ago. However, the government is taking serious steps for the revival of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The experts opined that the US dollar may face depreciation in the coming days if all goes well with regards to the IMF programme revival. They said the greenback is overvalued against the local currency. They said that commodity prices in the international market.