Business

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday urged the Shehbaz Sharif government to implement the agenda of privatisation, particularly in the energy sector, as the greater involvement of the private sector is the key to addressing economic crisis. He was addressing as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the 16th CSR Summit and Awards-2024 organised by …

KARACHI: After a positive start on Wednesday, the stock market came under selling pressure as a weaker rupee and surging external debts amid uncertainty about new IMF conditions kept investors nervous as a result the benchmark KSE 100-share index closed in the red. Cautious investors opted to stay on the sidelines as the new government was preparing to start the final IMF …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s external public debt rose by $1.2 billion in six months to $86.358bn as of September 30, 2023, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA). In its first quarterly report on Foreign Economic Assistance (FEA) of the current fiscal year released on Wednesday, the ministry said Pakistan had received total foreign inflows of $3.5bn in July-September 2023 against loan repayments of $1.5bn, …

Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday changed its outlook on Pakistan’s banking sector from “negative” to “stable” citing its solid profitability, stable funding and liquidity, which it said “provide an adequate buffer’ to withstand the country’s macroeconomic challenges and political turmoil. The international rating agency — one of the top three global rating firms — said that the economic and fiscal pressures were …

KARACHI: Hub Power Co Ltd (Hubco), the country’s largest private utility, expects power consumption in the country to fall again this year due to higher tariffs and tepid industrial activity, a top executive told Reuters. Power demand in Pakistan plunged last year by nearly a sixth and a decline in 2024 would mark the first time in 16 years that …

KARACHI: The stock market snapped its four-day winning streak as investors resorted to profit-taking following reports that the new government has begun preparations to engage the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the start of final review under the current $3bn Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and negotiating a fresh Extended Fund Facility. The country is faced with numerous economic issues mainly the …

WASHINGTON: Bitcoin soared to a new record high on Tuesday, fuelled by investors pouring money into US spot exchange-traded crypto products and the prospect that global interest rates may fall. The world’s largest cryptocurrency hit a high of $69,202, topping November 2021’s all-time peak of $68,999.99. Investor interest has increased since the Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 spot bitcoin …

WASHINGTON: Ama­zon founder Jeff Bezos has taken back his spot as the world’s richest man, dethroning Elon Musk on the Bloomberg Billion­aires Index. Bezos’ net worth stands at $200 billion, according to the tracker, surpassing the Tesla chief’s $198bn. Musk, who also heads X (formerly Twitter) and SpaceX, has seen his riches fall by more than $30b as Tesla’s share …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to formulate proposals for reducing government expenditures and overhauling the country’s economic structure. He also directed the authorities to immediately initiate the process of complete digitisation and automation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which he himself would oversee. Presiding over a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister …

KARACHI: Bullish sentiments prevailed in the stock market for the fourth consecutive session on Monday, briefly propelling the KSE 100-share index above the 66,000-point level. The emerging political stability after the smooth election of Shehbaz Sharif as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan helped the market sustain its overnight bullish momentum. Topline Securities Ltd said the market extended its winning …