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No respite: Rupee continues to weaken against dollar, closes at 236.84

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  • Rupee has been under renewed pressure against US dollar this month.
  • It has lost 8.66 against the greenback during the week.
  • Market experts believe this is primarily due to strengthening US dollar index.

KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee continued to weaken against the US dollar on Friday as high demand for the greenback kept the local unit under pressure.

The local currency registered a decline for the 11th consecutive session, closing the week at 236.84 against the greenback after losing nearly Re1 or 0.41%. The dollar now stands only Rs3.1 short of the all-time high level of Rs239.94 on July 28, 2022.

The rupee has been under renewed pressure against the US dollar this month. Market experts believe this is primarily due to the strengthening US dollar index, alongside a rise in the import of food-related items.

The rupee — which has been continuously losing its value despite the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme — weakening streak can be attributed to a host of reasons including low dollar inflows amid pressure for import and debt servicing.

Moreover, political uncertainty is also impacting the rupee value. Pakistan has not been able to receive financing from multilateral financial institutions, despite securing the funding from IMF last month, which has been putting pressure on the country’s forex reserves — which dipped $176 million, clocking in at $8.62 billion as of September 9, 2022.

However, it is not just the rupee, leading currencies of the world have also lost value against the US dollar in recent times, which was also affecting the Pakistani currency.

Foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) dipped by $176 million.

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Finance Minister: A “big” IMF program is coming for Pakistan.

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Speaking at the Karachi Stock Exchange ceremony, the Finance Minister announced that meetings with IMF representatives would take place in Washington on April 14 and 15.

He applauded the caretaker government’s effort to bring about economic stability and predicted that the nation’s economy would stabilize with improved economic policies.

Muhammad Aurangzeb emphasized that in order to move the country’s economy toward stabilization, structural reforms must be implemented.

He restated that the nation’s recovery from the economic crisis depends heavily on the stock market. The stock market is, nevertheless, trending upward.

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Pakistan is still classified as a secondary emerging market by the FTSE.

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The nation could perhaps be demoted, according to the worldwide index provider, since its index weight has decreased over the previous few years.

Pakistan’s market capitalization peaked in 2017 at $100 billion, but it fell to $21 billion by 2024, according to a Bloomberg research.

It did, however, state that Pakistan’s standing as a secondary emerging market will remain unchanged due to favorable political changes brought about by the establishment of a stable government.

Bloomberg saw Shehbaz Sharif’s election as prime minister, who is open to reform, as a step in the right direction for the nation struggling financially.

Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, was chosen on March 4 to serve as the country’s 24th prime minister.

With 201 votes, PM Shehbaz defeated Omar Ayub Khan of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) by 92 votes.

over the economy, earlier this month, Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) came to an agreement at the staff level over the second and last review conducted under Pakistan’s Stand-By Arrangement.

The IMF secured a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on the second and final review of the nation’s stabilization program, which is backed by the IMF’s US$3 billion (SDR2,250 million) SBA authorized, according to the official statement released by an IMF team led by Nathan Porter.

The remaining US$1.1 billion (SDR 828 million) of SBA access will be made available following the IMF Executive Board’s approval of the deal.

It was reported shortly after the February 8 election that the newly elected PML-N-led government intended to apply for a new IMF credit package.

Pakistan is anticipated to pursue a $6–8 billion loan program from the global lender, and the IMF will be contacted right once to begin negotiations for this. The sources went on to say that the IMF would have tighter requirements this time.

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PM Shehbaz Sharif: “A plan to digitize the tax system is underway.”

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In an address to the All Pakistan Newspapers Society delegation in Islamabad today, the prime minister announced that plans were in motion to update the tax collection system.

The prime minister added that efforts are underway to broaden the revenue base and that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is fully digitizing.

He emphasized that the Tax Excellence Awards were a recent initiative by the government to support female entrepreneurs, exporters, and engaged taxpayers.

The government’s priorities, according to the prime minister, are institutional changes, austerity, domestic and external investment, and privatization of government-owned businesses.

Praiseing the media’s contribution to public awareness-raising and good governance, he called on the sector to successfully communicate the benefits of economic stability under SIFC.

Calling fake news a major problem, he emphasized the need for cooperation to combat it. Additionally, he extended an invitation to the press to back Pakistan’s administration in its endeavors for the country’s growth and well-being.

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