Business

Economy faces tougher year in 2023, warns IMF

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

New year is going to be “tougher than the year we leave behind,” IMF chief says.
Kristalina Georgieva says three main economies, the US, EU and China, are all slowing down.
“For next couple of months, it would be tough for China, and impact on the region will be negative,” she wars.

For much of the global economy, 2023 is going to be a tough year as the main engines of global growth — the United States, Europe and China —all experience weakening activity, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Sunday.

The new year is going to be “tougher than the year we leave behind,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on the CBS Sunday morning news programme “Face the Nation.”

“Why? Because the three main economies — the US, EU and China — are all slowing down simultaneously,” she said.

In October, the IMF cut its outlook for global economic growth in 2023, reflecting the continuing drag from the war in Ukraine as well as inflation pressures and the high-interest rates engineered by central banks like the US Federal Reserve aimed at bringing those price pressures to heel.

Since then, China has scrapped its zero-COVID policy and embarked on a chaotic reopening of its economy, though consumers there remain wary as coronavirus cases surge. In his first public comments since the change in policy, President Xi Jinping on Saturday called in a New Year’s address for more effort and unity as China enters a “new phase.”

“For the first time in 40 years, China’s growth in 2022 is likely to be at or below global growth,” Georgieva said.

Moreover, a “bushfire” of expected COVID infections there in the months ahead are likely to further hit its economy this year and drag on both regional and global growth, said Georgieva, who travelled to China on IMF business late last month.

“I was in China last week, in a bubble in a city where there is zero COVID,” she said. “But that is not going to last once people start travelling.”

“For the next couple of months, it would be tough for China, and the impact on Chinese growth would be negative, the impact on the region will be negative, the impact on global growth will be negative,” she said.

Business

PEL Ships Transformers to Start US Exports

Published

17 hours ago

Bilal

Through stable and efficient trade regulations, the Special Investment Facilitation Council has helped promote Pakistani industrial exports internationally.

With the first shipment of transformers departing Pakistan for the United States on March 13, 2025, Pak Electron Limited formally started exporting its goods to the United States.

PEL wants to increase its worldwide visibility and investigate new overseas prospects. Under its power and appliances segment, the company produces high-quality goods like transformers and home appliances.

Additionally, PEL has alliances with major global corporations including General Electric, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi.

Business

The FBR has extended the deadline for sales tax returns until March 27.

Published

18 hours ago

Bilal

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) extended the deadline for submitting Sales Tax and Federal Excise reports to March 27, 2025, to assist taxpayers.

The FBR has issued an official notification concerning the prolongation, as per reports.

The initial deadline for submitting Sales Tax and Federal Excise reports for the February 2025 tax period, originally set for March 18, 2025, has been extended to March 27, 2025.

The determination has been rendered pursuant to Section 74 of the Sales Tax Act 1990 and Section 43 of the Federal Excise Act 2005.

FBR officials indicated that the extension is intended to alleviate challenges encountered by taxpayers, permitting them to complete their returns within the specified timeframe without inconvenience.

Taxpayers are encouraged to utilize the extended deadline and submit their returns punctually to evade any possible fines.

The FBR regularly extends tax return deadlines to assist the corporate sector and facilitate seamless tax compliance.

Business

Stocks fall as PSX is under selling pressure.

Published

2 days ago

Bilal

The benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped more than 600 points during Monday’s opening trading hours, sending the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) plunging.

The benchmark index had dropped 635 points and was now trading at 117,806.25.

The PSX’s decline was attributed primarily to selling pressure.

Important industries include fertilizer, auto assemblers, refineries, OMCs, and oil and gas exploration firms. Due to widespread selling, index-heavy stocks such as EFERT, INDU, MARI, OGDC, PPL, and PSO saw negative trading.

Remember that throughout the past week, the PSX has been in a bullish trend, reaching historical highs.

This prolonged increase was fueled by hope for a possible staff-level deal for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $1 billion second EFF tranche.