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‘Political uncertainty’: Pakistani rupee hits new low of 215.20 against US dollar

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  • Pakistani rupee depreciates Rs4.25 against greenback. 
  • On June 22, rupee had closed at a record low of 211.93.
  • Analyst cites import payment pressure, political uncertainty as reason behind decline.

KARACHI: The ruling PML-N’s thumping in the Punjab by-elections that has triggered political uncertainty along with import pressure took the Pakistani rupee to a new low against the US dollar in the interbank market Monday.

Data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed that the local unit lost Rs4.25, or 1.97%, against the US dollar to close at an all-time low of Rs215.20.

It is the highest day-on-day depreciation after March 26, 2020.

On June 22, the rupee had closed at a record low of 211.93 against the greenback and since then the currency has remained volatile.

Pakistan-Kuwait Investment Company Head of Research Samiullah Tariq cited import payment pressure and political uncertainty as reasons for the rupee’s hit.

The analyst told Geo.tv that Sunday’s by-election results gave clarity but the market is awaiting a strategy going forward.

“[The] market is looking for a direction, therefore investors are anticipating what would be the way forward. Will the coalition government announce early elections or not?” said Tariq.

On the other hand, Arif Habib Limited analyst Ahsan Mehanti is hopeful that the depreciating rupee would recover soon as all speculations are in favour of the local unit.

Mehanti believes that the funds that Pakistan will receive from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following the staff-level agreement will give the local currency a “much-needed breather”.

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Trade ties between Pak-Oman: Both nations decide to activate “Joint Business Council”.

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Jam Kamal Khan, federal minister for commerce, visited Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Muscat alongside chairman Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas.

To enable closer economic collaboration, both sides decided during the meeting to activate joint Business Council between OCCI and the federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and industry.

Concurrent with the conference, the Embassy of Pakistan arranged a b2b networking event in association with OCCI to gather Omani Businessmen and Pakistani Business Delegates investigating trade prospects.

Speaking on the occasion, Jam Kamal Khan said, “Our present trade figures do not fairly represent the depth of our connection. We can quickly raise the current Trade volume to two or three times its present level by just eliminating logistical and communication barriers.

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Despite economic gains, PSX remains strong.

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Amidst the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a loan tranche, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has resumed its upward trajectory in recent days.

The KSE-100 Index gained 600 points on Friday, the penultimate working day of the business week, and then increased to 115,730 points as traders showed confidence and engaged in trading.

After experiencing fluctuations, the PSX gained strength on Thursday, as the major index surpassed 115,000 points.

The KSE 100-Index closed at 115,094.23 points after gaining 1,009.70 points, or 0.89 percent. 115,247.39 was the intraday high, and 14,429.93 was the lowest.

According to experts, one important factor is Moody’s Ratings’ upgrade of Pakistani banks. Investor confidence has also increased due to the expectation of a positive conclusion from the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In its assessment, Moody’s stated, “We have shifted our outlook on Pakistan’s banking system from stable to positive to reflect the banks’ resilient financial performance as well as improving macroeconomic conditions from very weak levels a year ago.”

The major index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surpassed 115,000 on Thursday, indicating a surge in the market.

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Pakistan resolves to meet benchmarks, and the IMF promises economic help.

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In the midst of an ongoing economic review, the delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has promised Pakistan economic cooperation.

In order to assess the delivery of a $1 billion tranche under the $7 billion rescue deal, IMF officials are now in Pakistan.

Today, March 14, marks the completion of the two-week-long economic review and negotiations between the global lender’s representatives and Pakistani authorities.

The team met with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb at the Ministry of Finance for the last round of negotiations.

The nation’s economic team’s actions and performance were praised by the visiting officials.

Aurangzeb promised the IMF during the conference that all economic goals would be met. He said that as long as the loan program is in place, no goals would be broken.

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