Local unit closes at 287.29 against the US dollar.
Rupee down 2.25 against greenback in interbank market.
Importers have resumed the panic buying of US dollars.
Pakistani rupee touched a record low on Tuesday as the country struggles to unlock critical International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding while dwindling foreign exchange reserves become another source of concern for investors.
The local unit, in the interbank market, closed at 287.29 against the US dollar, 0.78%, or Rs2.25, down from Monday’s close of 285.04.
Last month, the rupee hit a record low, closing at Rs285.09 per US dollar on March 2, 2023, the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed.
A trend curve of rupee-dollar parity. — Arif Habib Limited
Financial pundits believe that importers have resumed the panic buying of US dollars, while the supply of foreign currency remained low in the interbank market.
Pakistan’s loan programme is yet to materialise months after it raised taxes and energy prices and allowed the currency to depreciate to meet IMF’s conditions. The nation has missed multiple deadlines to resume its bailout.
The cash-strapped nation secured a $6 billion IMF bailout in 2019. It was topped up with another $1 billion last year to help the country following devastating floods, but the IMF then suspended disbursements in November due to Pakistan’s failure to make more progress on fiscal consolidation.
After months-long unfruitful talks, the Washington-based lender has asked Pakistan to seek commitments for new loans from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before it revives the bailout.
The IMF’s resident representative for Pakistan said the country has a few more tasks to complete to meet requirements for a $6.5 billion bailout. The lender approved a $3 billion loan program for Sri Lanka last month to ease its economic crisis.
“Uncertainty on IMF and friendly countries inflow affecting rupee,” said Mohammad Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities.
“Some of the ruling coalition partners are due to visit Saudi Arabia next week and it is a key event to watch,” it added.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will be leading a high-powered delegation to the US which will attend the upcoming annual spring meeting of the Bretton Woods Institutions, known as the IMF and World Bank, from April 10 to 16.
Moreover, the country’s foreign exchange reserves have also declined in recent weeks, which is another source of concern for investors. The forex reserves held by the central bank stand at a critical level of only $4.24 billion (as of March 24, 2023).
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.
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.
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.