Connect with us

Business

Slight uptick in passenger car sales reported during November 2022

Published

on

  • Increase was of 39% on month-on-month basis.
  • Car sales decreased by 39% in first five months of FY23 
  • Further improvement expected in coming months after increase in issuance of LCs.

KARACHI: Passenger cars saw a slight uptick in sales during November 2022 compared with the data of the same month of 2021, reported The News on Tuesday citing data from the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA).

In percentage terms, the increase was 39% on a month-on-month basis, with analysts foreseeing a further improvement in the coming months due to the improved availability of raw materials for the car manufacturers after an increase in the issuance of letters of credit.

However, apart from the Suzuki Alto, sales of all other variants of cars, trucks, buses, tractors, jeeps, pick-ups, and three-wheelers as well as two-wheelers saw a decline in November 2022 compared with November 2021.

On the other hand, car sales decreased by 39% in the first five months of FY23 to 55,144 units against 90,303 units sold in the same period last year.

The data released by PAMA, passenger car sales increased by 0.60% or 93 units to 15,444 units in November 22 compared with 15,351 units sold during the same month last year. November 2022 sales increased by 39% or 4,315 units compared with 11,129 units sold in October 2022.

During this period, sales of 1300cc and above cars were recorded at 5,831 units, down 28% compared with the same period last year, when 8,102 units were sold. In November 2022, 1000cc cars recorded sales of 1,854 units, (1,136 units of Suzuki Cultus and 718 units of Suzuki WagonR) against 3,641 units in the same month last year.

Below 1000cc vehicles recorded a sale of 7,759 units, higher by 115% or 4,150 units against 3,609 units last year. Suzuki’s new Alto saw remarkable sales of 7,255 units, up by 282% to last year’s sales of 2,420 units.

Meanwhile, buses and trucks witnessed a decrease to 342 units in November 22 from 532 units in November 2021. The sale of jeeps and pick-ups went down to 2,947 units from 3,363 units sold during the same period last year.

On the other hand, sales of tractors dropped to 1,240 units from 4,617 units during November last year. The sale of rickshaws and motorbikes decreased to 110,529 units in November 2022 against 166,731 units in the same period last year.

According to a report of Topline Securities, Pakistan’s overall car sales were around 20,000 units, up 35% month-on-month, primarily due to the availability of CKD parts which led to higher production in November 2022 as compared to October 2022.

Pak Suzuki reported an increase of 55% month-on-month to 12,400 units in November 2022 followed by Honda Car’s increase of 38% month-on-month to 1,973 units in November 2022.

Business

November inflation to spike on gas price adjustment, dashing slowdown hopes

Published

on

By

  • CPI likely to rise to 28.6-29.6% year-on-year in Nov.
  • Inflation rate could register 2.1% month-on-month jump.
  • Weekly SPI on Nov 16 showed 480% surge in gas prices.

KARACHI: Inflation is expected to surge in November, primarily due to a massive hike in gas prices, according to brokerage reports released on Wednesday.

The consumer price index (CPI), which measures changes in the prices of goods and services, is likely to rise to 28.6-29.6% year-on-year in November, up from 26.9% in October.

A report by brokerage firm Insight Securities predicts that the inflation rate will register a 2.1% month-on-month jump, defying earlier expectations of a gradual slowdown from September onwards. Optimus Capital Management estimates that the CPI will increase by 2.9% month-on-month, primarily driven by an 11.6% jump in the housing index due to gas price revision and a 1.6% increase in the food index.

The primary cause behind the expected spike in November inflation is the adjustment of recently imposed fixed charges within the gas tariff structure. The weekly sensitive price index (SPI) inflation released on November 16 showed an astonishing 480% surge in gas prices.

However, a slight respite is expected from a 4.0% decrease in the transport index due to lower average fuel prices in November. The impact of the gas price hike was partially mitigated by the decline in fuel prices and the month-on-month fall in the food commodity adjustment (FCA).

Food inflation is attributed to a sharp increase in the prices of perishable items such as onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggs, as well as tea. Despite an increase in supply from imports, wheat prices still rose month-on-month, while sugar and cooking oil showed a significant decline during this period, based on weekly SPI data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The recently implemented axle load regime, which limits the weight of goods transported by trucks, could put some pressure on the price levels of goods.

The higher October fuel cost adjustment (FCA) demanded at Rs3.5 per kilowatt hour (to be applicable in December) on electricity charges and a second-round impact of gas price increase could keep inflation under pressure. However, the base effect during the second half of the fiscal year is likely to help absorb the impact.

Commodity and energy prices, along with the exchange rate of the rupee against the US dollar, will remain important factors in keeping the CPI under control.

The reports projected the average inflation for the first five months of the fiscal year 2023/24 (July-June) to be 28.5%, compared with 25.2% in the same period last year and with an estimated ending at 19.4% year-on-year in June 2024.

They predicted that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is likely to maintain the interest rate in its upcoming monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting due to the higher-than-estimated inflation in November. However, the SBP could opt to initiate an easing cycle in the first quarter of 2024, given the high base effect in the second half of the fiscal year.

Continue Reading

Business

Petrol price likely to remain unchanged in next fortnightly review

Published

on

By

  • Petrol prices to hold steady in next review.
  • Diesel and kerosene prices to decline from Dec 1.
  • Next fortnightly review due tomorrow (Nov 31).

KARACHI: The prices of petroleum products will not see any major change in the upcoming fortnightly review with diesel and kerosene rates expected to go down slightly, according to the industry calculations.

According to a The News report published Thursday, the ex-refinery and ex-depot prices of petroleum products did not register any major fluctuation as global crude prices eased in recent days.

The ex-depot price of petrol, the most widely used fuel in the country, is slightly higher by Rs0.19 per litre to Rs281.53 per litre compared to the current price of Rs281.34, industry officials said.

The ex-depot price of high speed diesel (HSD), used mainly for transport, has been worked out at Rs290.47 per litre for the next fortnight compared to the existing price of Rs296.71 , showing a decline of Rs6.24 rupees per litre.

The ex-depot price of kerosene, used for cooking and lighting in rural areas, has been worked out at Rs202.16 per litre compared to the current price of Rs204.98, indicating a decrease of Rs2.82 per litre.

The ex-depot price of light speed diesel, another variant of diesel, has been worked out at Rs176.18 per litre for the next review against the present price of Rs180.45, registering a decline of Rs4.27 per litre, the report stated.

According to the industry’s working, the estimated exchange adjustment of petrol is zero whereas it is Rs1.80 per litre for HSD.

However, the industry officials said that the prices of petroleum products can change with the exchange loss as the industry did not put the exchange loss figure in its working for the next review.

The country fixes fuel prices on a fortnightly basis after evaluating fluctuating international energy market costs and the rupee-dollar parity to transfer the impact on domestic consumers.

They said global oil prices remained under pressure during November, falling below $75 a barrel in mid-November.

WTI was trading at $76.5 a barrel on November 29, down by nearly 7% as compared to October 29. Brent was down by 5.4% in the past month, trading at $86.35 a barrel, they added.

Continue Reading

Business

Another day, another high: PSX continues bull run as KSE-100 goes past 61,000 points

Published

on

By

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday reached another historic high as the bulls continue to dominate the benchmark KSE 100 index with hopes of the State Bank of Pakistan lowering the policy rate in the coming days. 

Benchmark KSE-100 index at 10:09am. — Screengrab/PSX website
Benchmark KSE-100 index at 10:09am. — Screengrab/PSX website

The benchmark index gained 702, or 1.16%, during the intraday trade and stood at 61,433 points at 10:09am. 

Commenting on the bull run, Head of Research at Pakistan-Kuwait Investment, Samiullah Tariq said that the market was reacting positively because it expects an interest rate cut, a quick International Monetary Fund review and strong profitability of companies. 

Continue Reading

Trending