Day: March 13, 2026

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $41 million to $16.34 billion during the week ended March 6, 2026, according to the central bank. The country’s total liquid foreign reserves stood at $21.60 billion, where commercial banks held net reserves of $5.26 billion. Furthermore, the Pakistani rupee posted a marginal rise of 0.01% against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Thursday, settling at 279.32 after appreciating Rs0.03 from the previous close of 279.35. Meanwhile, gold prices in Pakistan declined, tracking losses in the…

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan held a virtual meeting with Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs of Qatar Dr Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, food security coordination and investment opportunities. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Qatar relations and agreed to further expand economic engagements. The Qatari minister emphasised the importance of encouraging greater interaction between the business communities of both countries in order to further strengthen economic ties, said a press release issued on Thursday.…

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LAHORE: The recent surge in petroleum prices has once again pushed Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery into uncertain territory as global oil markets remain volatile amid tensions in the Middle East. With petrol currently priced at Rs321.17 per litre and high-speed diesel at Rs335.86, households and businesses across the country are bracing for further pressure even as the government signals it may try to absorb future shocks rather than pass them directly to consumers. Officials in Islamabad say authorities are exploring options, other than adopting austerity measures, to prevent another sharp…

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ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that policy discussions with Pakistan would continue in the coming days to reach a consensus on a staff-level agreement for the $1 billion tranche amid the global lender’s concerns over large fiscal discrepancies in budgets. In a statement issued after the talks remained inconclusive, IMF Mission Chief Iva Petrova said that while considerable progress was made in the discussions, they would continue in the coming days. Petrova said that the IMF would fully assess the impact of recent global developments on…

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Gold and silver prices declined in both international and domestic markets on Friday. In the international bullion market, spot gold was up slightly by 0.3% at $5,095.55 per ounce as of 0633 GMT, while US gold futures for April delivery fell 0.1% to $5,100.20. Spot silver dropped 1% to $82.91 per ounce. Meanwhile, spot platinum lost 1% to $2,111.45, and palladium declined 1% to $1,603 per ounce. Locally, the price of gold per tola decreased by Rs7,100 to Rs533,262, while per 10 grams it fell by Rs6,087 to Rs457,186. Silver…

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a lackluster trading session, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index settling at 153,866, down 555 points (-0.36%) from the previous close. “During the shortened Ramzan session, with trading hours limited to 3 hours and 15 minutes, investor activity remained muted,” noted Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited. Market participants largely preferred to stay on the sidelines ahead of the weekend, amid concerns over potential geopolitical developments, which may negatively impact market sentiments. Read: PSX drops 1,437 points as early gains vanish…

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