Business

Gold regains shine, price rises over 1% in Pakistan

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Per tola gold price settles at Rs197,100.
Cumulatively, gold gains Rs3,000 per tola in last two sessions.
Silver prices in domestic market remain unchanged.

Gold price in Pakistan regained its shine on Wednesday as the rate rose over 1% in the local bullion market owing to a steep decline in the rupee value.

According to All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA), the price of gold (24 carats) surged by Rs2,700 per tola and Rs2,315 per 10 grams to settle at Rs197,100 and Rs168,981, respectively.

Cumulatively, the precious commodity gained Rs3,000 per tola in the last two sessions reversing the prevailing trend recorded last week — when gold lost Rs1,900 per tola.

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs2,080 per tola and Rs1,783.26 per 10 grams, respectively.

Analysts say gold may be an effective way to defend investments against inflation, but only over long periods of time.

Comparatively, over shorter periods of time, the inflation-adjusted price of gold swings wildly, making it not a very strong near-term hedge for inflation.

In the international market, gold gained traction as strong Chinese economic data dented the dollar and drove some bets for better physical demand from the top bullion consumer, but the risk of elevated US interest rates capped gains.

The per ounce price of gold in the international bullion market rose by $27 to settle at $1,837.

“The market is cautiously optimistic for a Chinese economic recovery following strong data which has put the dollar rally into reverse,” independent analyst Ross Norman said, adding that it was, in turn, boosting gold and risk-on assets.

Physical gold demand in the key hub has already picked up this year as COVID-19 restrictions were eased.

“Gold was clearly oversold and we’re seeing good bargain hunting on the lows, having found technical support at the $1,808 level … the market looks poised to firm but cautiously so, with US inflation-linked data being a constant driver,” Norman added.

Although traditionally considered an inflation hedge, higher interest rates to rein in consumer prices dim the appetite for bullion since it pays no interest.

Gold registered its worst month since June 2021 in February after a slew of US data pointed to a resilient economy and a tight labour market, sparking fears that the Federal Reserve would deliver more rate hikes to curb inflation.

Business

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

Published

6 hours ago

Farwa

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.

DOLLAR DEPRECIES

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

Business

SBP will announce monetary policy on January 27.

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

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.

Business

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

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

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.