Business

Why gold prices not released in Pakistan today?

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

As people remain curious as to why the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association did not release the gold rates on Wednesday, it was learnt that the local bullion market remained closed today.

APSGJA President Haji Haroon Rasheed Chand, in a public message, confirmed the bullion rates were not released on account of Shab-e-Barat (15th Shaban).

Believers across the country observed Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of blessings and glory, on Tuesday night (tonight) with full religious spirit.

Gold prices have been declining for the last many days and have cumulatively lost Rs9,200 or per tola in the last four days.

It should be noted that the APSGJA notifies the gold rates to the market every day after determining the price by keeping in view its rates in world markets, the rupee-dollar exchange rate, and demand and supply in domestic markets.

The price of gold on Tuesday declined by Rs700 per tola and Rs600 per 10 grams to settle at Rs197,300 and Rs169,153, respectively.

The association last reported that the price of gold has been “under cost” by Rs3,000 per tola in Pakistan, as compared to prices in Dubai. This means that, at present, the Pakistani gold market is less expensive than the world market.

The price of per tola gold plunged below the critical Rs200,000-mark due to the rupee’s appreciation against the US dollar under the current cycle.

Meanwhile, in the international market, gold prices hovered near a one-week low on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said US interest rates might need to go higher than expected to control sticky inflation.

Spot gold was nearly flat at $1,814.10 per ounce by 1253 GMT, after hitting its lowest since Feb. 28 at $1,809.27. Following Powell’s remarks on Tuesday, prices fell nearly 2%.

US gold futures were down 0.1% to $1,818.70.

Powell reverting to a higher-for-longer stance took the wind out of gold as the markets now expect higher rates, StoneX analyst Rhona O’Connell said.

The Fed will likely need to raise rates more than expected in response to recent strong data and is prepared to move in larger steps if the “totality” of incoming information suggests tougher measures are needed to control inflation, Powell said on the first day of his semi-annual two-day testimony before Congress.

Gold’s appeal tends to dim when rate hike expectations rise because higher rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

Market participants are now mostly expecting a 50 basis-point hike at the Fed’s March 21-22 policy meeting.

Business

FBR Reforms: PM Leading Reforms Process with Law Minister as Top Priority

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

According to Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Prime Minister Shehbaz is leading the entire reform process, and the Federal Government has made the reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue its top priority.

According to the law minister, who was speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, there are presently one billion rupees worth of tax cases pending in court. The parliament has for the first time passed legislation on tax tribunals in an effort to streamline and accelerate the legal process.

He stated that, strictly according to merit, there have already been a few postings and transfers in the FBR and that more are anticipated in the next few days.

Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar, who accompanied the Law Minister, stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is spearheading an effective foreign policy through productive meetings with world leaders.

He declared the premier’s trip to Saudi Arabia, where Shehbaz Sharif met with government representatives and corporate executives who indicated interest in investing in Pakistan, a success.

Atta Tarar also declared that a commercial team from Saudi Arabia would be visiting soon.

Business

Pakistan will host an IMF team in May to discuss a new loan.

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

According to sources, negotiations on a fresh loan program have been set between Pakistan and the foreign lender. There will be two stages to the meetings: technical discussions and policy-level conversations.

Prior to the upcoming negotiations, Pakistan must overcome formidable economic obstacles, including the collapse of an IMF-proposed tax amnesty program.

Although it hasn’t worked, the federal government had promised to include 3.1 million merchants in the scheme’s tax net. The recent turnover of senior officials has placed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in an atypical position.

The negotiation process with the IMF will be difficult for the new and inexperienced FBR team. The significant drop in FBR’s tax collections would likely worry the IMF.

A day prior, Pakistan obtained the eagerly awaited $1.1 billion last installment from the IMF as a component of the $3 billion standby agreement.

Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 828 million, or $1.1 billion in worth, were given to the SBP “after the successful completion of the second review by the Executive Board of IMF under Stand By Arrangement (SBA),” according to the SBP.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stated Islamabad might obtain a staff-level agreement on the new program by early July. Pakistan is seeking a new, longer-term, and larger IMF loan.

Although Aurangzeb has neglected to specify the specific program in question, Islamabad has stated that it is seeking a loan for a minimum of three years in order to support macroeconomic stability and carry out long-overdue and difficult structural reforms. Should it be approved, Pakistan would receive its 24th IMF bailout.

Business

In FY2024, SRB tax revenue soars to Rs 185.2 billion.

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

In a statement released here, the SRB’s chairman, Wasif Memon, stated that he briefed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah about the organization’s revenue collections during their meeting.

In comparison, the tax collection during the same period of the previous financial year 2022–2023 stood at Rs143.3 billion. This achievement represents a 29 percent year-over-year growth, according to the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB), which recorded record revenue of Rs185.2 billion during the first nine months of the fiscal year 2023–2024.

The CM stated at the time that the SRB has shown tenacity and efficiency in revenue collection in spite of facing a number of difficulties, including the general economic downturn.

According to the statement, SRB’s monthly tax collection for April 2024 was Rs18.8 billion, a 23 percent increase from the Rs15.2 billion collected in the same month the previous year.