Khurram Husain highlighted the plight of those earning daily wages, underscoring that their purchasing power was destroyed by 30pc since 2021 despite ease in inflationary pressure now.

Miftah Ismail acknowledged that there was ease in inflationary pressure but questioned the government’s role in economic stability.

Petroleum Minister Dr Musadik Malik warned of ‘isolated bankruptcy’ in the petroleum sector unless a weighted average price of imported, piped and wellhead gas was introduced along with rationalised electricity rates.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasised that privatising state-owned enterprises (SOEs) was integral to the Uraan Pakistan economic reform and transformation initiative.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $46 million during the week ended on Jan 31 after witnessing a decline in the two preceding weeks.

Canadian miner Barrick Gold’s overall proven and probable gold reserves jumped 23 per cent to 17.4 million ounces at the end of 2024, lifted by its Reko Diq copper-gold project.

A Senate panel expressed displeasure over the procurement of 78 luxury vehicles by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) despite a ban on such purchases under the austerity policy.

The federal government has decided to stop its intervention in the domestic wheat marketing system by abolishing the traditional announcement of minimum support price every year.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan inaugurated the country’s first-ever ‘Made in Pakistan’ single-country exhibition in Jeddah, marking a significant step towards enhancing trade ties with Saudi Arabia.

Despite continued downward interest rate trajectory and relative political calm, the PSX witnessed a ruthless bloodbath, extending the losing streak to a fifth straight session due to an unabated institutional selling spree.

Global credit rating agency Fitch acknowledged Pakistan’s progress when it came to making headway regarding economic stability.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) purchased about $3.8 billion from banks in the first four months of the current fiscal year to improve its foreign exchange reserves.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Opec members to unite against possible US sanctions on the major oil producer.

Pakistan’s exports to five central Asian countries (CACs) contracted 17 per cent during the first half of 2024-25.

Pakistan and Turkiye are expected to sign multiple memoranda of understanding to expand economic cooperation, including the agriculture sector.

The price of one tola of gold reached closer to Rs300,000 on the back of all-time high international prices due to the looming uncertainty over the US trade war with China, Mexico, and Canada.

The US trade deficit widened sharply in December as imports surged to a record high against the backdrop of tariff threats, which might have prompted businesses to rush purchases of foreign-made goods.

Already hard-pressed by the imposition of an 18 per cent sales tax, the local cotton industry is panicky about reports of a review of GSP+ status by the European Union.

India’s finance ministry has asked its employees to avoid using AI tools including ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes, citing risks posed to confidentiality of government documents and data.

On the eve of the Kashmir Day holiday, the stock market remained under institutional selling pressure amid a lack of positive triggers.