Business

Gold pulls back in local market as caution sets in

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Gold price settles at Rs154,700 per tola.
Local market is expected to trade sideways during the week.
Silver prices in domestic market remained unchanged.

KARACHI: Gold prices slipped in Pakistan as the dollar ticked up in the international market and investors showed caution in the run-up to the announcement of US monetary policy announcement later this week.

The precious metal plunged Rs1,500 per tola and Rs1,286 per 10 grams to settle at Rs154,700 and Rs132,630 respectively, data released by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA) showed.

For several sessions, gold has been stuck in a range and is likely going to continue to be in that range in the near term. The market will only break out into a direction after it gets more economic data and sees stability in rupee-dollar parity.

Local market is expected to see some choppy, sideways trade this week. Speaking to Geo.tv AA Commodities Director Adnan Agar said that the prices may decline further in the local market in line with the international prices; however, rupee depreciation will arrest some of the losses.

Moreover, rising geopolitical and economic risks are doing little to entice haven buying, with the US dollar still the asset of choice.

In the international market, the price of yellow metal rose by $13 per ounce; however, it failed to cross the psychological barrier of $1,700. The price settled at $1,662 as investors braced for aggressive interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks this week in an effort to tame high inflation.

The yellow metal is viewed as a safe-haven investment in the face of inflation woes, but high-interest rates increase

Gold rates in Pakistan are around Rs1,000 below the cost compared to the rate in the Dubai market.

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs1,570 per tola and Rs1,346.02 per 10 grams.

Business

China Contributes 43 New Foreign Firms to the 6% Growth in SECP Registrations

Published

11 hours ago

Farwa

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has registered 2,617 new firms this year, a 6% increase from 2023, with assistance from the Special Investment Facilitation Council. This increases the overall number of businesses that are registered to 231,111.

Non-profits, trade associations, and public unlisted firms make up 4% of these, while private limited corporations make up 55% and single-member companies 41%. It is noteworthy that 99.8% of the registrations were done online, demonstrating SECP’s attempts to digitise.

Real estate has 237 new businesses, services has 306, and trade has 377 new businesses. These are the main sectors exhibiting growth. While the healthcare and textile industries each had 49 new businesses, the education sector saw 101.

China contributed the most, adding 43 new companies, out of the 61 new companies that were registered as a result of foreign investment.

These recently registered businesses are anticipated to decrease imports, increase domestic production, and contribute to closing the trade deficit.

Business

PSX reaches an all-time high as the KSE-100 Index surpasses 86,000 points.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has achieved a significant milestone, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index has attained an unprecedented peak.

On Tuesday at midday, the index ascended by 788 points, attaining a record high of 86,846 points. Following the ratification of the constitutional amendments, the stock market has increased by 1500 points over a span of two days.

Earlier today, the KSE-100 Index increased by 683 points, attaining a value of 86,741 points, before concluding at this new apex.

The bullish trend was apparent from the commencement of the trading session, with the index rising an additional 555 points to reach 86,612 points throughout the day. The reinstatement of the 86,500-point threshold signifies robust market performance.

Business

In three months, Pakistan’s IT exports increased by 33.54 percent.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

During the first three months of FY 2024-25 (July to September), Pakistan’s IT export remittances hit US$ 876 million, a notable 33.54 percent rise from US$ 656 million during the same period previous year (FY 2023-24).

In a statement, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja stated that the amount of money sent home by the export of ICT services was US$ 292 million in September 2024, a 41.7% increase from US$ 206 million in the same month the previous year.

She stated that efforts to make it easier for businesses to conduct business in the nation are the reason why IT exports are rising and that actions are being taken to increase them.

In response to the Prime Minister’s directions, Shaza Fatima stated that the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, the Pakistan Software Export Board, and the IT industry are dedicated to boosting IT exports with the full assistance of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

A trade surplus of US$ 764 million was recorded by the IT & ITeS sector in the first three months of FY 2024–25, accounting for 87.21 percent of all ICT export remittances.

Over the same period last year, this surplus represents a 36.67 percent gain over US$ 559 million. The services industry as a whole, however, experienced a trade deficit of US$ 699 million during this period.

The largest of all service sectors, ICT export remittances from July to September 2024, were US$ 656 million, followed by “other business services” at US$ 374 million.