Barclays bid rates, maximum rates for payment of interest by authorised dealers on deposits (other than those brought under FE Circular No: 45 of 1985) and on deposits (brought under FE Circular No: 45 of 1985) - issued by the Foreign Exchange Rates Commi
Rates applicable for conversion into rupees of Foreign Currency Deposits, Dollar Bearer Certificates, Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates, Special US Dollar bonds and profits thereon by all banks and also for providing forward cover on foreign currency d
An article "IMF's eighth review" in Business Recorder (17th August) has stated that "under the EFF, Pakistan has completed nearly two years or around 66 percent of the programme and received a total of 2.88 billion dollars, while the 23-month Stand
I wrote an article in this newspaper on February 17, 2015, stating clearly that Pakistan's economy is heading towards deflation. Some economists thought that it was too early to pass the judgement and at least one senior economist totally disagreed with m
The sick loan portfolio in the banks started to swell as early as the mid-eighties, the same was not publicly acknowledged in the banks' books. Throughout the nineties, huge lending decisions were taken in Islamabad instead of being analysed threadbare in
Tax reforms, initiated in 2000 borrowing US$100 million from the World Bank, even after 15 years, have failed to improve voluntary compliance and tax-to-GDP ratio. In fiscal year 2014-15, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) failed to achieve, for the seventh c
The Lieutenant-General Hameed Gul was a valiant fighter on the battlefront, but more than that he was a political strategist whose worldview was embraced by many in Pakistan and rejected with equal vehemence by no less in number at home and abroad. In his
An independent think tank, Institute of Policy Research, has expressed fears that a series of mini-budgets would be needed in the current financial year as corrective policy actions since the outcome in the first month (July) are not very promising. Thus,
Crude prices finished mixed Thursday, with US oil taking a breather from the market slide that is driven by persistent concerns about high production and a global oversupply of crude.
ICE cotton futures approached a six-week high on Thursday as speculators took advantage of a lack of hedge selling from producers, following last week's US government crop forecast that cut US production expectations more than expected. "That's not a clea
Shanghai copper is expected to break a support at 38,050 yuan per tonne, and fall to the next support at 37,590 yuan, as it could have completed a rebound from the August 19 low of 37,960 yuan.
Copper prices rallied on Thursday as a weaker dollar helped investors see value in a metal trading near six-year lows, even as fears persisted that China's equity rout could signal deeply rooted economic problems. The dollar was on the defensive, making d
Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures rose on Thursday, recovering from a 10-month low hit in the previous day, as investors booked profits after four consecutive sessions of losses, but nagging worries about China's economy and equities capped the gains.
US soybean futures fell to multiyear lows on Wednesday in a broad-based commodities selloff and as widespread rains in the US Midwest were expected to boost yields. Wheat hit lows for several contract months, pressured by sluggish demand and hefty global
Malaysian palm oil futures eased for a second session on Thursday as weakness in global commodity markets put pressure on vegetable oil prices. The benchmark palm oil contract for November on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange ended 1.87 percent lowe
White sugar futures hit a 6-1/2-year low on Thursday as refiners sold the whites-over-raws premium, while arabica coffee dipped and robustas fell with a widening front-month discount. Cocoa futures edged up on technically driven buying.
Gold rose to its highest in nearly five weeks on Thursday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting last month signalled that a hike in US interest rates in September may be unlikely. Fed officials worried that lagging US inflation and a wea
Gold hit its highest in five weeks on Thursday as the dollar eased after meeting minutes from the US Federal Reserve suggested policymakers were in no hurry to raise interest rates.
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures rose 1 percent to their highest levels in more than a week on Thursday, supported by sharply higher soybean and wheat prices and uncertainty surrounding US corn yields, traders said.
US soybean futures rebounded from near six-year lows on Thursday in a short-covering bounce and as weekly government export data showed strong new-crop sales last week.
On Wednesday, at Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX), value traded was PKR 21,098 million. The number of lots traded was 116.362 million. PMEX Commodity Index closed at 2,491.
Indian soyabean and soyaoil futures fell on Wednesday, following a drop in edible oil prices overseas and on a stronger rupee. Malaysian palm oil futures eased 1.2 percent on Wednesday as weak crude and competitive vegetable oils weighed on prices of the
The Asian naphtha crack recovered some of the losses chalked up over the last four sessions to reach $83.73 a tonne on Wednesday, but traders looked past the marginal increase as supplies were high. The spot market was quiet as no open tenders were issued
US natural gas futures inched higher in quiet trade on Wednesday, rebounding slightly after two sessions of losses, as traders paused ahead of a weekly stockpile report on Thursday. Natural gas prices fell toward the bottom of a recent trading range on Mo
The Karachi Port handled 121,703 tonnes of cargo comprising 97,872 tonnes of import cargo and 23,831 tonnes of export cargo including 4,793 loaded and empty containers during the last 24 hours ending at 0700 hours on Thursday.
The December vaida was lower on the forward cottonseeds oilcake market on Thursday in the process of trading, dealers said. The December vaida closed at Rs 1303.90, it however, shed 10 paisa at Rs 1303.80 in the early session, dealers said.
Active mills demand for fine quality helped prices to hold firmness on the cotton market on Thursday, dealers said. The official spot rate was unchanged at Rs 4,650, dealers said. Seed cotton prices in Sindh were unchanged at Rs 2450 and Rs 2550 and in Pu
Spot basis bids for hard red winter wheat were unchanged in the southern US Plains on Wednesday as farmers focused on the impending corn harvest, grain merchants said. Front-month HRW wheat futures were down 3-1/4 cents at $4.72-3/4 a bushel by 10:55 am C
The domestic cotton market continues to remain steady due to some interruption in seedcotton (Kapas/Phutti) supplies because of rains and swelling of rivers over the past several weeks. However, this phenomenon could now recede and supplies restored in th
The domestic cotton market continues to remain steady due to some interruption in seedcotton (Kapas/Phutti) supplies because of rains and swelling of rivers over the past several weeks. However, this phenomenon could now recede and supplies restored in th
Russia's largest private oil firm Lukoil has sold some of its Kazakhstan stakes to China's energy giant Sinopec for $1.09 billion, the company said Thursday.
Three Chinese energy firms were told by local authorities in China to halt operations, after massive blasts at a warehouse in Tianjin last week raised public concerns that some facilities storing hazardous materials are too close to homes and schools.
US home resales rose to a near 8-1/2-year high in July and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region picked up this month, fresh signs of steady economic growth that likely keeps the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates this year.
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is stepping up pressure on the central bank to cut rates as the economy struggles and price rises slow, with some bureaucrats working behind the scenes to argue for an immediate cut of as much as 50 basis points.
Franco-Japanese carmaking alliance Renault-Nissan plans to cut several hundred jobs in India and reduce production at its plant near Chennai, in the country's south, a top executive told Reuters late on Thursday.
Franco-Japanese carmaking alliance Renault-Nissan plans to cut several hundred jobs in India and reduce production at its plant near Chennai, in the country's south, a top executive told Reuters late on Thursday.
Japanese business morale improved in August and it is seen likely to remain steady, a Reuters poll found, offering a hint of economic recovery and improved confidence as firms look past the second quarter's export slump and weak consumer spending.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday he would not peg the ringgit to the US dollar or implement capital controls as he sought to calm fears about the sliding currency and capital flight from Southeast Asia's third-largest economy.
The tenge lost more than a quarter of its value on Thursday as Kazakhstan fired the latest salvo in an emerging market currency war, ditching a trading band stretched to breaking point by sharp falls in crude and commodities prices.
Mexican economic growth picked up in the second quarter as the services sector expanded at its fastest pace in a year, offsetting flat industrial output on wobbling exports and sinking oil production. The economy expanded by 0.5 percent in the April-June
The value of Canadian wholesale trade rebounded in June after a drop in May, rising 1.3 percent on broad strength across most of the economy, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. The increase exceeded the 1.0 percent advance forecast by market analysts. St
Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals is paying $1 billion to buy Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which just won US government approval to sell the first "female Viagra" drug, the firms announced Thursday.
UAE Exchange, a global remittance and foreign exchange business headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is among bidders interested in consumer finance company Dunia, though private equity firm KKR & Co has not bid, sources familiar with the matter said.
German industry and banking groups called on the government on Thursday to extend the scope of state export guarantees, known as Hermes guarantees, to reflect the increasingly international make-up of products shipped from Germany. Germany supports export
Coal miner Bogdanka, one of the main suppliers for Poland's power plants, cut its 2015 investment plan by around a fourth to 381 million zlotys ($101.1 million), expecting a further slide in coal prices, it said on Thursday. Weaker global demand has weigh
Taiwan's export orders contracted for a fourth month in July as demand from China continued to deteriorate, rattling its trade-reliant Asian neighbours and pointing to slower global growth. A shaky economic situation in China, Taiwan's largest trading par
Sears Holdings Corp reported its first quarterly profit in more than three years on Thursday due to a one-off gain from the sale of stores, but the struggling retailer's sales continued to decline at a double-digit clip. The return to profit, as well as t
Sears Holdings Corp reported its first quarterly profit in more than three years on Thursday due to a one-off gain from the sale of stores, but the struggling retailer's sales continued to decline at a double-digit clip. The return to profit, as well as t
Britain's Co-operative Bank reported a near trebling of its losses in the first half of 2015 on Thursday, reflecting reduced income, losses on the sale of assets and the rising cost of turning the business around.
Britain's Co-operative Bank reported a near trebling of its losses in the first half of 2015 on Thursday, reflecting reduced income, losses on the sale of assets and the rising cost of turning the business around.
Deutsche Bank is to sever its last link with commodity trading by resigning as a clearing member of the London gold and silver over-the-counter business, two industry sources close to the matter said on Thursday. The move leaves five banks - Barclays, HSB
Japan's JGC Corp has won a contract to build shale gas facilities in the north-west of Saudi Arabia for state oil company Saudi Aramco , industry sources familiar with the matter said. The project, known as System A, will involve building processing facil
Taxpayers are in a state of obscurity as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) remains unable to issue User ID, Password and Pin Code after lapse of three months. Although the board has announced to launch new 'Registration Module' from July 1, 2015, the same ha
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away". If people started following this proverb strictly, Muhammad Anwar and his 30-memebr entrepreneur family would go broke. For much of their business comes from the doctors. Selling water and milk of young green coconu
Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday sought reply from Sindh Home Secretary in missing Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers case. SHC has ordered the Home Secretary to present himself before the court on August 27, and submit report regarding the measures
Model Collectorate of Customs (MCC), Gwadar on Thursday claimed to have arrested two persons and seized substantial quantity of liquor worth Rs. 2.7 million in a joint action with Maritime Security Agency (MSA).
Rangers on Thursday reportedly once again surrounded Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) headquarter and entered the Khurshid Memorial Secretariat on Thursday. However, Rangers spokesperson denied such reports that paramilitary forces raided the office of MQ
The country's total liquid foreign reserves declined slightly $24 million during the last week. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country's total liquid foreign reserves stood at $18.655 billion as on August 14, 2015 compared to $18.679 b
Acting EU Ambassador, Stefano Gatto on Thursday visited Karachi Fish Harbor and inspected the facilities including boats, auction halls and seafood processing plants, the harbor officials said. The ambassador visited all the key sites at the fisheries har
At least one key commander of banned outfit was apprehended during a joint operation of Frontier Corps (FC) and intelligence agencies here on Thursday. The detainee was wanted in several criminal activities.
Sindh United Party (SUP) will take out a protest rally on August 22 against alleged rampant corruption and terrorism in Sindh province. The rally would be taken out from Naseem Nangar which will converge into a sit-in protest at Hyder Chowk where leaders
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and The Citizen Foundation (TCF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for their partnership to establish and run second shift schools in five Government Girls Primary Schools of Nowshera district.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (KCCI) president Iftikhar Ahmed Vohra has vehemently criticised the government for giving a go ahead to K-Electric to raise power tariffs from 19 per cent to 30pc under various slabs for residential consumers wit
PIA's first pre-Hajj flight PK 6025 from Quetta departed for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early Thursday morning. The intending Hajj pilgrims on the flight were seen off by PIA District Manager Balochistan, Abdul Baqi Baloch. PIA will carry more than 8,100 inten
PIA's first pre-Hajj flight PK 6025 from Quetta departed for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early Thursday morning. The intending Hajj pilgrims on the flight were seen off by PIA District Manager Balochistan, Abdul Baqi Baloch. PIA will carry more than 8,100 inten
Several journalists deputed on the coverage of the MQM leader Rashid Godil were manhandled by security guards at Liaquat National Hospital on Thursday. The guards also damaged the cameras of the journalists. The condition of one of the injured is said to
"The two attacks on two prominent politicians - one the Punjab Home Minister and the other the veteran MQM leader - has once again focused attention on law and order."
The US military prison in Guantanamo Bay should be shut down before President Barack Obama leaves office, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said Thursday, saying the facility is a "rallying cry for jihadi propaganda."
Seven people died Thursday morning when two planes carrying dozens of parachutists collided in mid-air in western Slovakia, the interior ministry said. The crash involved two L-410 Turbolet sport airplanes with 38 people on board, most of them parachutist
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was poised to form a new broad-based unity government Thursday with the backing of followers of President Maithripala Sirisena after winning parliamentary elections.
The UN nuclear watchdog said it is satisfied with access Iran will grant it to the Parchin military site, suspected by some states of having in the past hosted Iranian experiments related to atomic bombs. Without International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The bitter family feud tearing apart France's far-right National Front (FN) was set to resume Thursday, with its executive board ruling on whether to boot out party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has proposed calling an early election in the crisis-hit country on September 20, the ANA news agency said on Thursday, citing government sources. The hard-left leader is expected to make the announcement in an address
At least one person died and four others including peace committee member were critically injured in bomb blast here on Thursday. Police said that unidentified miscreants had planted remote controlled explosive device by roadside in Doug Darra area of Upp
Wildlife campaigners on Thursday welcomed a decision by Supreme Court to ban the hunting of a rare desert bird whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs for being an aphrodisiac.
FCCI business delegation is visiting United Kingdom from August 23 to September 01, 2015. Engr Suhail Bin Rashid, immediate Past President and Chairman International Trade Delegation Committee of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) will
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided that only registered suppliers, who are active taxpayers in FBR database and their names are in the Active Taxpayer List (ATL), would be eligible to supply goods/services to the government departments.
Tunisia's economic growth slowed sharply in the second quarter to 0.7 percent year-on-year, official data showed on Wednesday, after two Islamist militant attacks on a museum and a beach hotel crippled its tourism industry.
Romanian prosecutors said on Thursday a document which Prime Minister Victor Ponta said exonerated him of charges of being an accessory to tax evasion did not reflect the view of a court-appointed expert conducting an audit.
Puerto Rico's faltering economy and dire fiscal situation pose a threat to its universities, including the University of Puerto Rico, whose rating was already downgraded in June, according to Standard & Poor's.
Royal Dutch Shell unit Sarawak Shell Bhd has transferred its 50 percent stake as operator of the MLNG Dua liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to Malaysian state oil firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), Petronas said on Friday.
An improving job market edged the US Federal Reserve closer to an interest rate hike at its July meeting, but policymakers continued to fret that lagging inflation and a weak global economy posed too big a risk to commit to a "liftoff," according to minut
Celtic may come to regret not making Jo Inge Berget's loan a permanent move as his double for Swedish side Malmo saw them only lose 3-2 away in their Champions League play-off first leg match on Wednesday and leave the Scottish champions hopes of a place
Australia's future leadership team of Steven Smith and David Warner helped restore some pride for the tourists against England on Thursday's first day of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval.
Lokesh Rahul hit a century as India overcame early shocks to post 319-6 on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday. Rahul scored 108, his second Test century in four Tests, and shared a third-wicket stand of 164 with sk
English champions Chelsea have agreed a deal with Barcelona for the signing of Spanish international winger Pedro Rodriguez, both clubs announced on Thursday. "FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Pedro Rodriguez for 3
Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Salman Butt who was slapped a five-year ban by the International Cricket Council for his involvement in the spot fixing scandal, said on Thursday that youngsters should learn from his mistakes. "I am ready to me
Pakistan's hockey chief Akhtar Rasool Thursday resigned following the national team's failure to qualify for the Olympics for the first time ever. Pakistan, which has won Olympic gold in the sport three times and the world championship four times, finishe
Norway's economy slowed further in the second quarter while first-quarter growth was revised lower, data from Statistics Norway showed on Thursday, making it likely the central bank will cut interest rates later this year, economists said.
Data storage equipment maker NetApp Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly adjusted profit and revenue as its focus on cloud-based storage products starts to pay off. Shares of the company, which is in the middle of a restructuring, jumped 7.1 percen