logo
Pakistan showcases economic turnaround

Pakistan showcases economic turnaround

Express Tribune23-04-2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is interviewed during the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting at the IMF and World Bank's 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington. PHOTO: REUTERS
Listen to article
The embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC hosted an economic dialogue on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, bringing together Pakistan's economic leadership, global financial institutions, and corporate representatives from the US. The event showcased Pakistan's remarkable economic turnaround and its potential as a global investment destination.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, in his address, emphasised the pivotal role of the private sector in driving Pakistan's economic future, stating that the government's role was to provide policy frameworks and ensure continuity. He described the shift as a "mindset and societal change," likening it to the transformative impact of artificial intelligence. He responded to questions related to the ease of doing business and reiterated the commitment to reforms.
The finance minister identified population growth and climate change as two major challenges and called for private sector collaboration in different projects by leveraging the available financing and technical expertise. He reaffirmed the PM's vision of running Pakistan as "Pakistan Inc" with the government acting as public servants to facilitate investors.
Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh highlighted Pakistan's geostrategic and geo-economic significance as a market of 250 million people and a gateway to Central Asia, China, the GCC, and Afro-Asian regions.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Indian rupee edges lower as dollar sales by foreign banks offset most of greenback demand
Indian rupee edges lower as dollar sales by foreign banks offset most of greenback demand

Business Recorder

time6 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Indian rupee edges lower as dollar sales by foreign banks offset most of greenback demand

MUMBAI: The Indian rupee slipped on Wednesday, as corporate hedging and short-term speculators bolstered demand for the greenback, most of which was met by dollar sales by foreign banks. The rupee settled at 87.0650 to the U.S. dollar against its close of 86.9500 on Tuesday when it climbed the most in over a month, boosted by speculation over Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Traders said foreign banks were active sellers of dollars on Wednesday, limiting rupee depreciation despite significant hedging by importers. A rally in local equities and position squaring also helped the Indian currency recover after recent pressure, traders said. Recent weeks have seen the rupee's direction influenced by news around U.S. tariffs on India, S&P's upgrade of the nation's sovereign credit rating and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned tax cuts on goods and services. Foreign portfolio investors turned buyers of Indian assets in the past three sessions after net selling Indian markets in the last few weeks over tariff uncertainties. 'FPIs have turned steady buyers in Indian markets, encouraged by hopes that the U.S. may reconsider its plan to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports,' said Amit Pabari, managing director at CR Forex. Indian rupee to shrug off dollar strength, recent weakening bias on pause The return of foreign inflows comes even as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday accused India of profiteering from its purchases of Russian oil during the war in Ukraine. Other Asian currencies traded mixed on the day, while the dollar index was slightly higher at 98.21 as on 1549 IST. Rupee traders will also tune in to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday, which may provide clues on the U.S.'s interest rate trajectory. 'A signal that cuts may be delayed could strengthen the dollar, while any indication of looser policy may weigh on it and encourage risk-on sentiment,' Pabari added.

PSX scales new all-time high as positive momentum continues
PSX scales new all-time high as positive momentum continues

Business Recorder

time7 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

PSX scales new all-time high as positive momentum continues

There was no stopping the bullish momentum at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), buoyed by earnings optimism, rupee stability, and strong institutional activity from local and foreign investors. The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at a new all-time high on Wednesday. Positive sentiments prevailed throughout the trading session, pushing the benchmark index to an intra-day high of 151,261.67. At close, the benchmark KSE-100 Index settled at 150,591, an increase of 820.26 points or 0.55%. In a key development for Pakistan's corporate sector, Moody's Ratings upgraded the local and foreign-currency long-term deposit ratings of five Pakistani banks: Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL), MCB Bank Limited (MCB), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and United Bank Ltd (UBL) to Caa1 from Caa2. Rating actions followed Moody's decision to upgrade the government of Pakistan's local and foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa1 from Caa2, to reflect Pakistan's improving external position, supported by its progress in reform implementation under the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. On Tuesday, the PSX extended its record-setting rally as the benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at an all-time high of 149,770.75 points, up 1,574 points or 1.06%. Internationally, global share markets came under pressure on Wednesday after a tech-led selloff on Wall Street, while the dollar gained some ground ahead of a key meeting of central bankers later in the week. Stock futures pointed to a lower opening in Europe and most Asian bourses were in the red, with tech-heavy indexes in Taiwan and South Korea among the biggest losers, in part due to worries about the Trump administration's growing influence on companies in the sector. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid more than 1%, while EUROSTOXX 50 futures lost 0.64% and DAX futures shed 0.63%. S&P 500 futures dipped 0.27% and Nasdaq futures lost 0.44%, extending a fall from the cash session overnight. Japan's Nikkei lost 1.7% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Tech Index shed 1.3%.

PSX sustains record momentum, KSE-100 gains over 1,000 points
PSX sustains record momentum, KSE-100 gains over 1,000 points

Business Recorder

time8 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

PSX sustains record momentum, KSE-100 gains over 1,000 points

There was no stopping the bullish momentum at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), buoyed by earnings optimism, rupee stability, and strong institutional activity from local and foreign investors. The benchmark KSE-100 Index gained over 1,000 points during the intra-day trading on Wednesday. Positive sentiments prevailed throughout the trading session, pushing the benchmark index to an intra-day high of 151,261.67. At 2:40pm, the benchmark KSE-100 Index was hovering at 150,799.95, an increase of 1,029.21 points or 0.69%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors including automobile assemblers, commercial banks, power generation and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including PRL, ARL, HUBCO, MEBL, NBP and BOP traded in the green. In a key development for Pakistan's corporate sector, Moody's Ratings upgraded the local and foreign-currency long-term deposit ratings of five Pakistani banks: Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL), MCB Bank Limited (MCB), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and United Bank Ltd (UBL) to Caa1 from Caa2. Rating actions followed Moody's decision to upgrade the government of Pakistan's local and foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa1 from Caa2, to reflect Pakistan's improving external position, supported by its progress in reform implementation under the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. On Tuesday, the PSX extended its record-setting rally as the benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at an all-time high of 149,770.75 points, up 1,574 points or 1.06%. Internationally, global share markets came under pressure on Wednesday after a tech-led selloff on Wall Street, while the dollar gained some ground ahead of a key meeting of central bankers later in the week. Stock futures pointed to a lower opening in Europe and most Asian bourses were in the red, with tech-heavy indexes in Taiwan and South Korea among the biggest losers, in part due to worries about the Trump administration's growing influence on companies in the sector. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid more than 1%, while EUROSTOXX 50 futures lost 0.64% and DAX futures shed 0.63%. S&P 500 futures dipped 0.27% and Nasdaq futures lost 0.44%, extending a fall from the cash session overnight. Japan's Nikkei lost 1.7% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Tech Index shed 1.3%. This is an intra-day update

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store