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Gold price nosedives by Rs5,100 per tola in Pakistan

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  • Gold price settles at Rs140,500 per tola.
  • Precious commodity loses value as rupee gains ground.
  • Silver prices also decline in local market.

KARACHI: Gold prices dropped over 3% to a near two-and-a-half-month low on Tuesday as investors scrambled for cash to cover losses in other asset classes mainly driven by an appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the revival of Pakistan’s bailout programme.

In data released by the All Sindh Sarafa Association, the gold price plummeted by Rs5,100 per tola and Rs4,372 per 10 grams to settle at Rs140,500 per tola and Rs120,456 per 10 grams on Tuesday.

Bullion has on occasion moved in tandem with equities recently, especially as sharp sell-offs in wider markets force investors to sell precious metals to meet margin calls and cover their losses.

Gold, considered a safe store of value during political and financial uncertainty, has been facing tough competition from another safe haven, the dollar, in which it is priced. 

A stronger dollar makes gold expensive for holders of other currencies and while the greenback lost ground in the local market it has been strengthening against other currencies for the last many days.

The All Sindh Sarafa Association determines local prices based on rupee-dollar parity and international rates. According to market practice, local prices of gold usually go down on the rupee’s appreciation against the US dollar and rising prices of commodities in the international market.

In the international market, the price of the yellow metal gained $5 per ounce to settle at $1,733. Price remained subdued on expectations of more interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve.

It should be noted that the gold price stands below cost and is cheaper by Rs4,000 per tola compared to Dubai.

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market receded by Rs10 per tola and Rs8.57 per 10 grams to settle at Rs1,520 per tola and Rs1,303.15 per 10 grams today.

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Robust activity lets PSX climb above 115,000 level again.

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On Friday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) resumed its upward trend, crossing 115,000 points once more.

The PSX had strong action in the morning session, as the KSE-100 index increased by 1,000 points to 115,138.

The notoriously volatile PSX closed Thursday at 114,037 points, up 594 points.

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Meanwhile, in the interbank market this morning, the US dollar fell 7 paisas to Rs278.65 against the Pakistani rupee.

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SBP will announce monetary policy on January 27.

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The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will release its monetary policy on Monday.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the SBP will convene on the first day of the following week to make decisions on monetary policy.

The Monetary Policy decision will be announced by Governor SBP Jameel Ahmad at a news conference on the same day after the MPC meeting, according to an official release.

In December, the central bank reduced policy rates by 200 basis points (bps) to 13 percent.

“In November 2024, headline inflation fell to 4.9 percent year on year, meeting the MPC’s estimates. This decrease was mostly caused by the ongoing decline in food inflation and the phasing out of the impact of the gas tariff increase in November 2023,” SBP stated in an official release.

“However, the Committee noted that core inflation, at 9.7 percent, is proving to be sticky, while consumer and business inflation expectations remain volatile.” To that end, the Committee restated its previous assessment that inflation may remain volatile in the short term before stabilizing within the target range.

“At the same time, growth prospects have slightly improved, as evidenced by a recent increase in high-frequency indicators of economic activity.” Overall, the Committee concluded that its approach of gradual policy rate decreases is keeping inflationary and external account pressures under control while promoting long-term economic growth.

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Finance Minister Meets With World Leaders at World Economic Forum in Davos

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During his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with officials of organisations and leaders of many nations.
Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Muhammad Younas, met with Mohammad Aurangzeb.
On the fringes of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 Opening Banquet, there was an informal meeting.
Additionally, the Finance Minister met with Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Both leaders discussed economic cooperation and bilateral ties.
Muhammad Aurangzeb also had a meeting with Dp World’s Rizwan Soomro and Yuvraj Narayan.
They talked about how to strengthen Pakistan’s logistics and infrastructure systems to support trade.
“The Pakistani government is committed to advancing joint projects and values partnerships in both business-to-business and business-to-government cooperation,” the finance minister added.

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