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In Senate speech Dar avoids giving timeline for inking deal with IMF

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Finance and Revenue Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday avoided giving any timeline for striking deal with the International Moneatry Fund (IMF) during his speech in the Senate (Upper House), saying “all technical-level discussions were however over.

Responding to a Question/Answer session at the Senate, he said the global lender wanted commitments made by friendly countries to materialise.

The minister reiterated that the country won’t default on its payment obligations. “There is no question of default, Pakistan will manage its responsibilities, and will make every payment on time.

“IMF or no IMF, we need to jointly run the country, and there should be no politics on the economy,” he added. Regarding the agreement with IMF, Ishaq Dar said technical discussions with the lender have been completed.

Read more: Pakistan awaits China’s decision on rollover of $2bn loan: govt official

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The Senate was informed that the foreign exchange reserves stood at about $10 billion and the target was to take them to $13bn by June this year.

Leader of the House and Ishaq Dar told the House during Question Hour that there had been improvement in foreign exchange reserves over the last five weeks.

He said the government has not deferred any international obligation ever since coming to power and is making timely payments. He said our external debt has actually gone down.

In his remarks, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar told the House that the process of 7th Population and Housing Census was in progress and had to be completed before 30th of next month.

He said it is the first time that digital census is being carried out for which 35 billion rupees were earmarked in the budget 2022-23. He said if the results of the census get confirmed, the delimitations and next elections should be held under it.

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Taking the floor, Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar told the House that the country had sufficient stocks of all staple items. He said our thrust in future will be enhancing agriculture exports.

The Senate also held discussion on the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023.

Sharing main features of the Bill, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said it proposes constituting the benches and allocation of cases by a committee comprising Chief Justice and two senior most judges.

He said right of appeal has been given under the bill. The minister said such a law was the longstanding demand of the Bar Councils and Bar Associations. 

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Dollar treads water as Trump tariff clarity, central banks awaited

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Dollar treads water as Trump tariff clarity, central banks awaited

The dollar steadied against major peers on Thursday, continuing its near paralysis of the past two days before more concrete announcements on tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

A spate of central bank policy decisions are also due over the next week, with the Bank of Japan widely expected to raise interest rates at the end of a two-day meeting on Friday.

Rate decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week, respectively.

The dollar index – which measures the currency versus six top rivals, including the euro and yen – was flat at 108.25, following two days of gains of around 0.1%.

On Monday, it tumbled 1.2%, its steepest one-day slide since November 2023, as Trump’s first day in office brought a barrage of executive orders, but none on tariffs.

So far this week, Trump has mooted levies of around 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China from Feb. 1. He also promised duties on European imports, without giving details.

“President Trump has so far taken a less hostile-than-expected approach to China,” amid overall “softer-than-expected policies and tone on tariffs”, said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

At the same time, “we are cautious (that) risk sentiment remains fragile and can quickly turn sour if President Trump strikes a more aggressive tone.”

The Chinese yuan was little changed at 7.2812 per dollar in offshore trading .

Wall Street’s main indexes rose Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting an intraday record high thanks to strong Netflix earnings and a rally in tech shares.

Japan’s yen edged up about 0.1% to 156.40 with markets pricing 95% odds of a quarter-point hike on Friday.

The euro was flat at $1.0411. The ECB is widely expected to cut rates by a quarter point next week.

The Canadian dollar held steady at C$1.4386 against the greenback. The Bank of Canada is seen as likely to reduce rates by a quarter point next Wednesday.

The Mexican peso was little changed at 20.47 versus the U.S. currency.

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Oil prices extend losses amid uncertainty over tariff impact

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Oil prices extend losses amid uncertainty over tariff impact

Oil prices dipped in early trade on Thursday, extending losses amid uncertainty over how proposed tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on several countries would impact global economic growth and energy demand.

Brent crude futures fell 23 cents, or 0.3%, to $78.79 a barrel at 0135 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $75.26.

In its previous session, Brent futures settled at $79.00 in a fifth straight day of losses. WTI futures settled at $75.44 in a fourth consecutive day of declines.

Trump has said he would add new tariffs to his sanctions threat against Russia if the country does not make a deal to end its war in Ukraine. He added these could be applied to “other participating countries” as well.

He also vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs, impose 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico, and said his administration was discussing a 10% punitive duty on China because fentanyl is being sent to the U.S. from there.

Meanwhile, estimates from an extended Reuters poll showed that on average U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have fallen by 1.6 million barrels in the week to Jan. 17.

Gasoline stockpiles were estimated to have risen by 2.3 million barrels last week, and distillate inventories were likely to have gained 300,000 barrels.

The poll was conducted ahead of the American Petroleum Institute industry group’s report and another from the Energy Information Administration at 12:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Thursday.

European wind shares fell on Tuesday (January 21).

The reports were delayed by a day due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday on Monday.

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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm commitment to boost economic ties

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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm commitment to boost economic ties

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral economic ties for shared prosperity.

The commitment was expressed when Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with his Saudi counterpart Mohammad bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan on the sidelines of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

Muhammad Aurangzeb highlighted the key reform measures undertaken by the Government to promote economic stability and sustainable growth.

He briefed him on structural reforms, fiscal discipline and regulatory improvements that have contributed to an improved investment climate in Pakistan.

Earlier, Aurangzeb met Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank.

They discussed cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank, with a particular focus on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability.

The finance minister emphasized the government’s strong partnership with the Bank and expressed hope that the World Bank would continue playing a key role in the country’s socio-economic development.

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