Category: bussines

KARACHI: Despite recent stabilisation efforts, Pakistan’s economic outlook remains constrained by a persistent structural weakness: limited and narrowly based exports. For an economy of over 250 million people, reliance on remittances and episodic capital inflows cannot substitute for a durable export-led growth model. Sustained improvements in productivity, employment, and external balance require a systematic reorientation of policy towards export competitiveness. International experience suggests that successful export growth is rarely the result of isolated incentives. It emerges from consistent policy frameworks that align exchange rate management, energy pricing, taxation, capital allocation,…

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ISLAMABAD: On December 16, the European Union (EU) dropped its plan to ban new combustion-engine cars by 2035, making this the EU’s biggest policy retreat from its own green agenda. As German and Italian carmakers struggle to compete with Tesla and BYD, the revised policy has offered European automakers a lifeline to continue focusing on hybrid variants. Manufacturers had warned that billion-dollar penalties would result if the existing targets remained unchanged. EV market fragmentation The global electric vehicle (EV) landscape is fracturing into distinct trajectories. Chinese manufacturers like BYD, Geely…

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KARACHI: China’s merchandise trade surplus surged by $111.7 billion in November, reaching an impressive $1.08 trillion for the first 11 months of the year, a 22.1% increase compared to the same period of last year, according to official data. Western media have described the massive trade surplus as “remarkable,” but also warned that it could be “unsustainable,” citing concerns over China’s undervalued renminbi (RMB). The soaring surplus has raised eyebrows among economists, many of whom have called on Beijing to allow the renminbi to appreciate more gradually over the next…

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RAWALPINDI: New federal and provincial taxes, along with continuous increases in electricity, gas and transportation costs, have led to an unprecedented rise in the prices of all building materials. In the market, top-quality bricks are now priced at Rs25,000 per thousand, prompting contractors to rely more heavily on old bricks. A bag of cement is available at Rs1,350, steel at Rs255,000 per ton, gravel at Rs3,500 per trolley, sand at Rs3,000 per trolley, masonry labour at Rs2,500 per day, and general labour at Rs1,500 per day. Prices of cement plaster,…

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KARACHI: The KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its upward momentum, rising 1,540 points (0.91%) week-on-week to close at 171,404, boosted by the State Bank of Pakistan’s surprise 50-basis-point (bps) rate cut to 10.5%. Market sentiment was further supported by a modest current account surplus of $100 million in November 2025, reversing a $291 million deficit in October, even as the cumulative deficit for 5MFY26 reached $812?million. On a day-on-day basis, after multiple unsuccessful attempts, the PSX finally managed to close above the key 170k level on…

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KARACHI: Businessmen have expressed grave concern over the ongoing closure and sealing of the historic Karachi Cotton Exchange building, located on II Chundrigar Road, and its increasingly detrimental effects on cotton trade and the broader cotton economy of Pakistan. In a joint statement issued on Saturday, Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwala and Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) President Muhammad Rehan Hanif said that the continued sealing of the building by federal authorities, following a joint raid by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Evacuee Trust Property…

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KARACHI: For Pakistan’s middle-income households, car ownership has increasingly become unattainable, not merely because of inflation and currency depreciation, but due to a policy framework that has failed to balance consumer welfare, industrial development and macroeconomic stability. As vehicle prices continue to rise while incomes stagnate, debate has resurfaced over whether Pakistan should cautiously liberalise vehicle imports to revive competition and affordability, or persist with a protection-heavy regime that risks shrinking the market without delivering genuine industrial strength. Trade economist Aadil Nakhoda argues that the popular narrative linking vehicle imports…

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ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has sounded alarm over adulterated pesticides and market distortion in the agriculture sector, which are causing significant losses to farmers and undermining competition. The regulator has also pointed out that overlapping federal and Punjab roles after the 18th Constitutional Amendment cause delays in registration. The CCP on Saturday released its “Competition Assessment Study of the Pesticide Sector in Pakistan,” noting that counterfeit and adulterated pesticides had widespread presence in Punjab and Sindh, which damage crops, cause major financial losses to farmers and distort…

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on Saturday inaugurated the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company’s (PHDEC) first podcast series, marking the ministry’s inaugural digital initiative for the horticulture sector. According to an official statement, the initiative aims to improve awareness, share best practices and support growth in Pakistan’s fruit and vegetable industry. The podcast, titled Horticulture Horizons, will serve as a platform for farmers, exporters, researchers and policymakers. It will cover issues such as sustainable farming techniques, export strategies, value addition, post-harvest losses and climate change impacts.…

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