Business

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s liquefied natural gas terminals are overstressed and LNG value chain is very fragile from all parameters against global standards and could face operational and safety risks, contrary to common perception in public discourse that terminals are underutilised. “Even with the low ratios of ‘re-gas to storage’ and ‘LNG import capacity to storage’, the overall utilisation rate of LNG …

As the results’ season draws to a close, analysts work feverishly on their calculators to determine the corporate profitability for the quarter ended on Dec 31, 2020. The results are pleasantly surprising. The aggregate profit earned by listed companies in the quarter amounted to Rs213.9 billion, registering impressive growth of 38 per cent year-on-year. Sector-wise reviews show the segment with …

LAHORE: Chinese carmakers want the government to incorporate tax and other incentives to encourage investors to ‘localise’ hi-tech EV (electric vehicle) parts in the upcoming Auto Industry Development and Export Programme (AIDEP) 2021-26 expected to be announced over the next several months. “The government should let automakers import semi-knocked down (SKD ) kits for a limited period like Bangladesh to …

KARACHI: The tone of the market in the outgoing week was set by the happenings on the political front. Economics for the time being was put on the back burner, though the improving value of the rupee provided some cause to cheer. After massive volatility, the KSE-100 index settled flat with a tiny loss of 28 points, or 0.06 per …

KARACHI: A brisk cargo handling activity was witnessed at the karachi Port Trust (KPT) during the outgoing week (March 1-5) by handling a total of 975,028 tonnes in which the share of import and export stood at 673,148 tonnes and 301,880 tonnes, respectively. Containerised cargo held a bulk share of 307,133 tonnes in total import volume while second and third …

HYDERABAD: Sindh is likely to have a healthy wheat crop in the 2020-21 season. Harvesting of the crop has already begun in lower parts of the province and owners of roller flour mills and chakkis are purchasing wheat. Official figures indicate that Sindh has surpassed its wheat acreage target for 2020-21, as 100.01 per cent of sowing was achieved against …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Saturday said the number of e-banking complaints increased substantially by 177 per cent during 2016 to 2019. Also per branch complaints increased by 83pc during this period. The SBP’s Review of Complaints received against Banks/MFBs/DFIs 2016-2019 has been prepared by Banking Conduct and Consumer Protection Department. The review was conducted as part …

ve ISLAMABAD: The auto sector has demanded government come up with a separate policy for the promotion of local assembly of hybrid cars along with incentives for the vendors to reduce dependence on imported parts. Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar was presented with this demand by Indus Motor Ltd Company Ltd Chief Executive Ali Asghar Jamali on Friday seeking an …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government’s total debt increased to Rs36.537 trillion by end-January as against Rs32.997tr in the same period last year, up by almost 11 per cent, or Rs3.54tr. Latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan on Friday showed the central government’s domestic debt also increased to Rs24.502tr at the end of first seven months of 2020-21 when …

KARACHI: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending March 4 witnessed a jump of 0.16 per cent week-on-week (WoW) and 14.95pc year-on-year (YoY), with the prices of chicken and banana registering a significant hike. The week saw an increase in chicken price by 5.31pc followed by bananas 4.22pc, potatoes 3.76pc, sugar 2.81pc, onions 2.21pc, mustard oil 1.32pc and …