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Rupee breaks losing streak against dollar

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2 years ago

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  • Pakistani rupee closes at 239.65 against US dollar.
  • Rupee’s losing streak breaks after 15 consecutive sessions.
  • Analyst cites correction in market for rupee’s strength.

KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee on Friday broke its losing streak against the dollar after continuously depreciating for 15 consecutive sessions as the economy suffers following catastrophic floods.

At the closing of the interbank market’s trade, the rupee gained Rs0.06 to reach 239.65, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), up in value from the previous session’s close of 239.71 — just 0.23 short of an all-time low.

Arif Habib Limited’s Head of Research Tahir Abbas told Geo.tv that the rupee’s strength came after a correction following the expected inflow of funds from multilateral money lenders.

Abbas said that the market responded to the news of the World Bank (WB) planning to provide $1.7 billion to Pakistan in terms of flood relief.

The analyst mentioned that the government being in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for relaxing the conditions of the current programme was also a positive indicator for the market.

Analyst Yousuf Rahman at KASB Securities told The News that debt servicing was one of the reasons behind the rupee’s consistent decline as gross financing needs for the year are estimated at $32 billion.

Rahman also noted that floods have forced the government to import vegetables, grains, and cotton to replace damaged crops — increasing the pressure on the rupee.

After recent floods added to the country’s financial crisis, the Financial Times, citing a UN policy memo, reported that Pakistan should suspend international debt repayments and restructure loans with creditors.

The memorandum, which the UN Development Programme will share with Pakistan’s government this week, states that the country’s creditors should consider debt relief so that policymakers can prioritise financing its disaster response over loan repayment, the newspaper said.

Floods have affected 33 million Pakistanis, inflicted billions of dollars in damage, and killed over 1,500 people — creating concern that Pakistan will not meet its debts. Pakistan earlier estimated damage at $30 billion, and both the government and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have blamed the flooding on climate change.

The memo further proposed debt restructuring or swaps, where creditors would let go of repayments in exchange for Pakistan agreeing to invest in climate change-resilient infrastructure, FT said.

In line with the dominant trend over the last several weeks, the country’s foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also declined by 3.21% to $8,346.4 million as of September 16.

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Trade Agreements Worth $10.70 Million Were Signed At Expo For Pakistan And Indonesia To Increase Their Trade With The Support Of SIFC

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Through the assistance of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Pakistan and Indonesia have reiterated their dedication to improving their economic and commercial ties.

The participation of a Pakistani trade delegation was made possible by Indonesia at a recent trade expo, which resulted in the formation of agreements and memorandums of understanding with a total value of 10.70 million $. In addition to retail items and automobile components, these agreements span industries such as coconut, cocoa, ginger, spices, and retail goods.

As a key step toward improving economic ties, particularly with the Sindh business community, the participation of the group was praised by Tegu Viveko, who is acting as the Consul General of Indonesia.

Abid Nisar, the head of the Pakistan-Indonesia business council, has stated his confidence regarding the possibility of enhanced relations between the two countries, highlighting the historical and cultural origins of the connection.

In its capacity as a member of the G20, Indonesia intends to assist both nations in maximizing the benefits of their partnership in order to achieve better economic stability.

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Pakistan’s textile exports rose by 9.51% to $4.520 billion.

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Pakistan’s textile exports had a 9.51 percent increase in the first quarter of the current financial year (2024-25) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that textile exports from the country amounted to US $4.520 billion during July-September (2024-25), compared to US $4.127 billion during the same period in the previous year (2023-24).

The textile goods that facilitated trade expansion comprised cotton fabric, whose exports rose by 10.20 percent to $523.63 million from $475.187 million, and knitwear, which experienced a 14.13 percent increase in exports to $1,268.908 million from $1,111.818 million.

Other commodities that experienced trade growth included bed wear, with exports increasing by 13.31 percent to $794.972 million from $701.570 million; towels, which rose by 7.04 percent to $261.316 million from $244.134 million; and tents, canvas, and tarpaulin, which grew by 5.43 percent to $28.796 million this year compared to $27.312 million last year.

The export of readymade garments increased by 23.17 percent to $996.831 million from $809.316 million; art, silk, and synthetic textiles rose by 15.79 percent to $96.482 million; made-up articles (excluding towels and bed wear) grew by 12.10 percent to $191.050 million from $170.422 million; and the export of other textile materials surged by 8.73 percent to $187.145 million from $172.112 million.

The textile commodities that had negative trade growth were cotton yarn, with exports decreasing by 48.45 percent, from $315.404 million to $162.579 million, while raw cotton exports fell by 100 percent from 6.621 million to zero during the reviewed months.

The export of yarn, excluding cotton yarn, decreased by 15.15 percent, from $10.096 million to $8.566 million.

In September 2024, textile exports experienced a year-on-year growth of 17.92 percent compared to the same month in the previous year.

Textile exports from the country in September 2024 amounted to US $1,604.481 million, compared to US $1,360.902 million in September 2023.

Textile exports from the country experienced a nominal decline of 2.40 percent in September 2024, compared to the $1,644.333 million reported in August 2024, according to PBS statistics.

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PIA is designated as the official airline of IDEAS 2004.

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PIA has been designated as the official airline of IDEAS 2024. The PIA will utilise its aircraft for the promotion of IDEAS 2024.

In this context, the emblems of IDEAS 2024 have been affixed to two Boeing 777 aircraft and two Airbus planes of Pakistan International Airlines.

The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2024 is scheduled to commence from November 19 to 22 at the Karachi Expo Centre.

The government of Pakistan places significant value on IDEAS. The show draws several delegates and is perceived as a means to promote their local arms trade.

The inaugural IDEAS launch took place in 2000, serving as a platform to promote Pakistan’s indigenous arms manufacturing industry while allowing international suppliers to provide solutions for the needs of Pakistan’s tri-services.

The event, consistently held at the Karachi Expo Centre, attracted forty-five foreign delegations in its inaugural year.

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