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PSX nosedives by over 800 points amid political uncertainty

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The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday plunged by over 800 points during intra-day trade amid uncertainty on the political front.

At 11:59am, the benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped by 742 points, or 1.81%, to settle at 40,228 points.

KSE-100 Index at 11:59am. — Screengrab/PSX

However, a few minutes later the drop crossed the 800 mark. The market was hovering at 40,164 points down by 1.97%.

KSE-100 Index at 12:34pm. — Screengrab/PSX
KSE-100 Index at 12:34pm. — Screengrab/PSX

Speaking to Geo.tv, AA Commodities Director Adnan Agar said the stock market is reacting to all “bad political news”.

“Players are looking for political stability before assuming fresh positions in the market,” he said, adding that any positive news on political front or positive development regarding IMF programme will reinstate investors confidence.

Pakistan and the global lender have been holding discussion with Islamabad on the ninth review “productive”. However, differences between both the sides still persist making consensus harder to strike on a staff-level agreement for completion of the 9th review under $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Agar further highlighted that market players are also concerned about the future of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government while taking into account the current political developments.

The federal government has been thrown off guard after Imran Khan announced that he will be dissolving the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies this week.

“Moreover, constant depreciation of rupee against the US dollar is adding fuel to the downtrend,” he said, mentioning that the investors are unhappy with how Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is handling the rupee-dollar parity.

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There are US$13,280.5 million in foreign exchange reserves in Pakistan.

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According to a representative for the central bank, as of April 19, 2024, the nation’s total liquid foreign reserves were valued at US$ 13,280.5 million. A loss of US$74 million left the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign reserves at US$7,981.2 million.

Commercial banks have $5,299.3 million in reserves for Pakistan.

In the week that concluded on April 12, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $14.4 million to $8.055 billion.

“In a weekly statement, SBP stated that it has repaid US$ 1 billion in principal and interest on Pakistan’s International Bond, which matures this week.”

But at $13.374 billion, the nation’s total reserves decreased by $68 million. In the same way, commercial banks’ reserves dropped to $5.319 billion, a reduction of $82 million.

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NIMA seminar to increase Pakistan’s ship recycling industry’s capacity

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According to a release, important players from a range of maritime industries attended the conference to discuss issues facing the shipping sector.

It further stated that the symposium cleared the path for the resurgence of a sustainable future in ship recycling.

Participants in the conference included representatives of the Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union, PSBA, KS&EW, KPT, PMSA, GEMS, and the federal and Balochistani governments.

Furthermore, global perspectives and ideas were offered by international specialists such as Rabia Razzaque from UN-ILO and Professor Raphael Baumler from the World Maritime University.

The seminar emphasized Pakistan’s capacity to emerge as a pioneer in the field of environmentally friendly ship recycling.

In order to protect the environment and the safety of employees, the participants emphasized the importance of following international standards and regulations.

During his speech, Chief Guest Senator Nisar Ahmed Khoro emphasized the importance of the maritime industry’s resurgence and the crucial necessity for coordinated efforts from all parties involved.

A new age of economic prosperity, worker safety, and environmental responsibility for Pakistan’s maritime industry was called for as he urged the stakeholders to work together on a comprehensive SENSREC program.

Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed (Retd), the president of NIMA, emphasized the significance of environmental stewardship and safety in ship recycling procedures.

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Inflows into the Roshan Digital Account surged to $7.660 billion on March 24.

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According to the data, remittance inflows for the month of March totaled US$ 182 million, whereas they were US$ 141 million in February and US$ 142 million in January 2024.

Millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including those who own Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs), can now engage in banking, payment, and investing activities in Pakistan with the help of these accounts, which offer cutting-edge banking solutions.

According to a statement from the State Bank of Pakistan, the number of accounts registered under the program increased by 11,091 from 668,701 accounts in February 2024 to 679,792 accounts in March 2024.

As of March 2024, the central bank reported that foreign nationals of Pakistan have invested US $312 million in Naya Pakistan Certificates, US $528 million in Naya Pakistan Islamic Certificates, and US $31 million in Roshan Equity Investment.

It is important to note that former prime minister Imran Khan introduced the Roshan Digital Account initiative in September 2020 with the goal of giving Pakistanis living abroad access to digital banking services for the first time.

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