Business

Oil rises for a second day on supply tightness concerns

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Russia’s Gazprom tightens squeeze on gas flow to Europe.
Fed expected to hike rates 75 bps on Wednesday.
Brent premium to US crude hits widest in three years.

LONDON: Oil prices rose on Tuesday for a second day on increasing concerns about tightening European supply after Russia, a key energy supplier to the region, cut gas supply through a major pipeline.

Brent crude futures rose $1.14, or 1.1%, to $106.29 a barrel by 1029 GMT, extending a 1.9% gain the previous day.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures increased $1.31, or 1.4%, to $98.01 a barrel, having gained 2.1% on Monday.

Russia tightened its gas squeeze on Europe on Monday as Gazprom said supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany would drop to just 20% of capacity.

The cut in supplies will leave countries unable to meet their goals to refill natural gas storage ahead of the winter demand period. Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, faces potentially rationing gas to industry to keep its citizens warm during the winter months.

“The announcement revived fears that Russia, despite its cynical denial, will not shy away from using its energy as a weapon in order to gain concessions in its war against Ukraine and…could probably expect short-term success,” Tamas Varga from oil brokerage PVM said.

The European Union has repeatedly accused Russia of resorting to energy blackmail, while the Kremlin says shortfalls have been caused by maintenance issues and the effect of Western sanctions.

On Tuesday, EU countries agreed on an emergency regulation to curb their gas use this winter.

Europe’s crude, oil product and gas supplies have been disrupted by a combination of Western sanctions and payment disputes with Russia since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”

Still, falling demand because of recent high crude and fuel prices and the expectation of an increase in interest rates in the United States have put pressure on prices.

The US central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates by 75 basis points at the conclusion of its policy meeting on Wednesday. That increase may reduce economic activity and thus impact fuel demand growth.

Morgan Stanley said that 77% of global central banks have hiked rates in the last six months, with that percentage reaching a 40-year high, and “making this the most-synchronised cycle of rate hikes since the early 1980s”.

The bank lowered its demand growth forecasts for this year and next. It forecasts Brent crude prices at $110 a barrel in the third quarter and WTI at $107.50, each $20 lower than their previous forecast.

The gap between European and international oil benchmark Brent and US benchmark WTI has widened to levels not seen since June 2019 as easing gasoline demand in the United States weighs on US crude while tight supply supports Brent.

Prompt Brent inter-month spreads reached $5 a barrel on Tuesday, their highest level in three weeks. In a backwardated market, front-month prices are higher than those in future months.

Business

PSX surpasses the historical 71,500-point threshold.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Investors celebrated as the PSX finally crossed the historic 71,500 point threshold, signalling a critical turning point in the state of the economy in the country.

The KSE-100 index jumped more than 740 points, soaring to a record high of 71,650 points, demonstrating the tenacity and optimism that pervaded the Pakistani financial market.

This outstanding accomplishment indicates strong growth possibilities for the foreseeable future and demonstrates investors’ faith in the nation’s economic prospects.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)’s KSE-100 index saw a minor decline of 60.92 points on Friday, or 0.09 percent, and ended the day at 70,483.66 points.

In the foreign exchange market, the US dollar lost value in relation to the Pakistani rupee at the same time.

Currency dealers claim that on the first day of the workweek, the value of the US dollar dropped by 11 paisas to Rs278.20 in the interbank market, significantly strengthening the rupee.

Business

Outsourcing: Investors from Turkey stop by the airport in Karachi

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Turkish investors, who are interested in outsourcing Pakistan’s airport industry, sent a high-level team to Karachi Airport.

The domestic arrival and departure lounge at Karachi airport was visited by the Turkish investment group, according to information. The investors were briefed about the workings of the Karachi airport by a delegation of the Civil Aviation Authority, headed by Secretary Aviation Saif Anjum.

An update on the volume of people and business leaving the airport was also provided to Turkish investors. It is anticipated that the delegation would tour the cargo terminal and CAA headquarters today.

The nation’s three main airports, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, were formerly to be outsourced by the federal government.

Interest in outsourcing three of Pakistan’s airports has been expressed by local parties as well as investors from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Turkiye.

The timeframe for proposal submission for Islamabad International Airport’s outsourcing was extended by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) earlier on March 21.

The government’s top objective in the process of outsourcing international airports, according to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, is openness.

First, he stated that Pakistan is willing to participate in a public-private partnership to outsource a portion of the airport’s commercial activities.

Business

The inaugural flight of Azerbaijan Airlines is between Baku and Karachi.

Published

6 days ago

Farwa

The national airline of Azerbaijan launched direct flights from Baku to Karachi today. There will be two weekly flights on this route, on Thursdays and Sundays.

The first flight will land in Karachi, and Azerbaijan’s ambassador, Khazar Farhadov, will be there to greet it.

This evening also marks the departure of the inaugural flight from Karachi to Baku, in addition to the arrival of the flight from Baku.

Azerbaijan Airlines said last month that it would be growing its network and flight operations in Pakistan.

Aviation insiders have verified that Azerbaijan Airlines is preparing to launch service to Karachi in the coming month of April.

In addition to its current services in Islamabad and Lahore, the airline plans to launch its Karachi route on April 18, with the inaugural flight anticipated to depart on that date.

Azerbaijan Airlines has been given permission to operate flights on the Karachi route, according to sources within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Following a bilateral agreement between the two nations, Azerbaijan Airlines has been given permission to extend its operations in Pakistan.