ISLAMABAD: The US Export-Import Bank will deploy $100 billion to shore up supply chains for critical minerals, nuclear energy and natural gas as part of a broader effort to reduce Western dependence on unreliable sources, according to the institution’s chair.
top-economy
Pakistan lifts six-month gold trade ban, reviving jewellery exports
ISLAMABAD: The government has lifted a six-month ban on gold imports and exports, easing restrictions that had crippled the nation’s jewellery industry and aiming to revive trade in a key cultural and economic asset amid efforts to stabilise foreign reserves.
Islamabad calls first meeting of contentious NFC on Dec. 4 as pressure mounts to rewrite fiscal formula
ISLAMABAD: After months of postponements that have underscored the political and fiscal strains gripping the country, the government has called the first meeting of the 11th National Finance Commission for Dec. 4, setting the stage for what could be contentious negotiations over how to divide the nation’s tax revenues between the center and its four provinces.
IMF report exposes deep-rooted corruption risks in Pakistan ahead of board’s sign-off on $1.2 billion tranche
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan faces entrenched corruption vulnerabilities stemming from systemic institutional weaknesses, the International Monetary Fund said in a long-delayed diagnostic assessment that makes publication a prerequisite for the fund’s board to approve a $1.2 billion loan disbursement next month.
Trade gap jumps 39 percent as imports surge, exports slide
ISLAMABAD: The trade deficit widened by 39 percent to $12.7 billion in the July-October period of fiscal year 2025-26, as exports fell nearly across the board except for textiles and imports surged, led by a sharp rise in petroleum purchases, official data showed on Tuesday.
ECC clears Rs50.9 billion security outlay, opens offshore block to Turkish operator
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet ECC) on Tuesday approved technical supplementary grants totalling Rs50.94 billion for defence and security projects and cleared a new offshore oil and gas exploration consortium under Turkish operatorship, as the government seeks to bolster national security and revive foreign investment in the energy sector.
Current account returns to deficit on surging imports
KARACHI: The current account slipped back into deficit in October with a $112 million shortfall, reversing the previous month’s surplus, as imports jumped 13% from a year earlier and exports continued to weaken.
Pakistan delays NFC meeting again as growth forecast cut
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has again postponed the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted National Finance Commission (NFC), with a session previously planned for Nov. 18 now delayed indefinitely, as the government downgraded its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year by up to 0.7 percentage points to 3.5%, Dawn newspaper reported on Monday.
Diesel rises to Rs284.44/liter, petrol left unchanged
ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday left the retail price of gasoline unchanged but increased high-speed diesel by Rs6 per litre to Rs284.44 for the November 16-30 fortnight, a significantly milder adjustment than the jump of up to Rs9.60 projected earlier in the week.
Pakistan’s dollar bonds seen extending rally on IMF discipline and market return hopes
KARACHI: Pakistan’s US dollar-denominated sovereign bonds, already the standout performers among high-yield emerging-market credits this year, are expected to push higher as investors bet on credit-rating upgrades and a successful return to international capital markets in 2026, fund managers said.