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KARACHI: Dun & Bradstreet Pakistan and Gallup Pakistan have released the 19th edition of the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for the first quarter of FY2025-26, revealing a notable dip in sentiment. The index fell to 86.4, down from 96.2 in the previous quarter, a 10.2% decline. Despite this drop, confidence remains 18.5% higher year-on-year, signalling improvement compared to the same period last year. The CCI tracks consumer perceptions of the economy and personal finances across four parameters: household financial situation, national economic conditions, unemployment, and savings. Both current sentiment and…

KARACHI: Bulls took the driving seat at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as the market surged to new highs following approval of $1.3 billion in loan tranches under two different programmes by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The benchmark KSE-100 index rose 1,153 points, or 0.69%, to reach an all-time high at 169,456. Support came from consistent stock buying by local mutual funds and investor interest in market heavyweights. Other factors propelling the index higher included a 9% year-on-year (YoY) increase in remittances for November 2025 and an…

KARACHI: Despite what many overseas Pakistanis describe as humiliating behaviour and bureaucratic hurdles at home and abroad, at the hands of fellow countrymen in positions of authority, migrant workers have continued to support the struggling economy with unwavering commitment, sending $16.14 billion in 5MFY26, up 9% year-on-year and nearly $3.3 billion higher than Pakistan’s dwindling exports of $12.8 billion recorded during the same five-month period of FY2026. Workers’ remittances, Pakistan’s most vital foreign exchange lifeline, continued to show yearly growth during the first five months of FY26. According to central…

KARACHI: The Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has launched a new international representative office in Karachi, with the goal of strengthening trade and investment between Pakistan and Dubai. The opening of the office comes as part of the ‘Dubai Global’ initiative, which seeks to establish 50 representative offices around the world by 2030, said a press statement issued on Tuesday. Dubai Chambers President and CEO Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah stated: “The inauguration of our new office marks a strategic step…

ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone users pay over 55% of the price of a handset in taxes, which is exorbitant, reflects the narrow-mindedness of policymakers and requires urgent reduction in levies to promote digitisation, revealed proceedings of a parliamentary committee meeting. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday described heavy taxes on mobile handsets as irrational and narrow thinking that served the purpose of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at the expense of the economy. The government was charging over 55% of the prices of mobile phones in taxes,…

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday banned the import of used cars under the baggage scheme and tightened restrictions for the other two schemes, including a minimum three-year stay abroad, restricting competition for foreign firms in breach of commitments made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which tightened the conditions for car imports, also allowed the Power Division to add Rs522 billion to the flow of circular debt under the newly approved Circular Debt Management Plan 2025-26. The Rs522 billion addition in the…