Pakistan’s digital future is stuck in courtrooms, held hostage by a single company that has blocked one of the world’s most important 5G bands for nearly thirty years. The culprit is Southern Networks Ltd. (SNL) and the victim is every Pakistani consumer and the country’s technological competitiveness. Back in 1995, SNL’s predecessor was given a […]
SBP holds policy rate at 11% as oil and inflation risks loom
In a widely expected move, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) kept the policy rate unchanged at 11 percent on Monday, citing emerging external sector risks, the fiscal impact of the upcoming budget, and a recent rebound in international oil prices. The decision, taken at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)’s meeting, suggests that the central […]
SBP Faces a Tough Call: Hold or Cut? All eyes on June 16
In calmer times, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) might have been tempted to continue easing interest rates. After all, inflation had cooled considerably, the rupee had stabilized, and the external account was finally showing signs of life. But these aren’t calm times. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets this Monday, June 16, for the […]
Markets Rally, Experts Worry
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled a Rs17.573 trillion federal budget on Tuesday, setting a GDP growth target of 4.2% – a sharp jump from this year’s 2.7%. The strategy, he claimed, is designed to overhaul the economy’s “DNA” by boosting productivity and exports. Inflation is projected at 7.5%, while the fiscal deficit is targeted at […]
Fixing Coffee Tariffs
So, you’ve started drinking coffee lately, haven’t you? Maybe it’s that morning espresso shot, a cup of instant coffee before work, or a caramel latte from your favorite café on the weekend. You’re not alone. You qualify to be amongst the Pakistanis-especially the Gen-Z and urban millennials -who are turning to coffee more than ever […]
Pakistan’s Minerals: The New Geopolitical Bargaining Chip
Throughout history, great powers have secured dominance not just through military might but by controlling strategic resources. From the colonial era’s spice trade to the 20th-century oil wars, the key to leverage has always been resource supremacy. Today, the world stands at the dawn of a new economic battlefield—one where rare earth minerals dictate the […]
Covid fears, foreign selling, CGT payment settlement keep index under pressure
Investors yet again struggled to find a catalyst to break beyond the 48,000 index level at benchmark KSE-100 last week, as heavy selling pressure owing to a spread of Delta variant of Covid-19, foreign investors’ settlement and CGT payments kept the index under pressure. The PSX benchmark KSE-100 index exhibited a range bound session as […]
Lacklustre trading activity, foreign selling kept index in check
Investors struggled to find a catalyst to set a direction at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in the shortened (two-session) outgoing week, as risk-shy investors remained away from the index, owing to the rising Afghan crisis, resurgence of Covid-19 and foreign selling pressure. The PSX benchmark KSE-100 index exhibited a range bound session as it clocked […]
CGT uncertainty, Afghan crisis tAkE toll on investor sentiments, keeping index in check
Stocks witnessed a cautious trading activity in the outgoing week, as risk-shy investors remained away from the index, owing to the rising Afghan crisis and approaching CGT submission deadline. The benchmark kse-100 index exhibited a range bound session as it clocked at 47,834 points, up 0.6pc WoW, after trading between the weekly high of 47,890 […]
Weekly Review: Institutional sell-off ahead of FY21 closing, lukewarm investor sentiments kept kse-100 index in check
Stocks witnessed a topsy-turvy trading week, as Institutional investors hedging their bets ahead of the financial year close and series of other negative indicators kept the benchmark kse-100 index in check. Equities continued to remain volatile in the outgoing week, with the benchmark index closing at 47,686 points, up 0.2% WoW. Despite positive triggers, including […]