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Oil prices broadly steady amid rising US stockpiles

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LONDON: Oil prices were broadly steady on Wednesday as market participants were pulled in different directions by an unexpected build in US crude and fuel inventories, global economic uncertainty and China reopening its economy.

Moving in and out of the negative territory, Brent crude futures were up 53 cents, or 0.7%, at $80.63 a barrel by 0921 GMT US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 41 cents, or 0.6%, to $75.53 a barrel.

Both contracts rose on Monday and Tuesday, rebounding from a sharp selloff in the first week of 2023.

US crude oil stockpiles jumped by 14.9m barrels in the week ended January 6, sources said, citing data from the American Petroleum Institute (API). At the same time, distillate stocks rose by about 1.1m barrels.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected crude stocks to fall. Traders will be looking out for inventory data from the US Energy Information Administration typically due 1530 GMT.

The oil market has been pulled lower by worries that sharply higher interest rate hikes to tame inflation would trigger a recession and curtail fuel demand. US inflation data is due on Thursday.

If inflation comes in below expectations that would drive the dollar down, analysts said. A weaker dollar can boost oil demand as it makes the commodity cheaper for buyers holding other currencies.

Prices have not jumped but gained some support from hopes for fuel demand growth in China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer after the US after it eased its COVID-19 curbs and increased crude import quotas by 20%.

“It is dawning on market players that China’s return to normality won’t be enough to propel oil back above $100/bbl on a sustained basis,” said PVM analyst Stephen Brennock.

“What is required is an improvement in global growth. Yet the outlook for the world economy is constrained by high inflation and tightening credit conditions.”

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Trade ties between Pak-Oman: Both nations decide to activate “Joint Business Council”.

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Jam Kamal Khan, federal minister for commerce, visited Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Muscat alongside chairman Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas.

To enable closer economic collaboration, both sides decided during the meeting to activate joint Business Council between OCCI and the federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and industry.

Concurrent with the conference, the Embassy of Pakistan arranged a b2b networking event in association with OCCI to gather Omani Businessmen and Pakistani Business Delegates investigating trade prospects.

Speaking on the occasion, Jam Kamal Khan said, “Our present trade figures do not fairly represent the depth of our connection. We can quickly raise the current Trade volume to two or three times its present level by just eliminating logistical and communication barriers.

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Despite economic gains, PSX remains strong.

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Amidst the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a loan tranche, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has resumed its upward trajectory in recent days.

The KSE-100 Index gained 600 points on Friday, the penultimate working day of the business week, and then increased to 115,730 points as traders showed confidence and engaged in trading.

After experiencing fluctuations, the PSX gained strength on Thursday, as the major index surpassed 115,000 points.

The KSE 100-Index closed at 115,094.23 points after gaining 1,009.70 points, or 0.89 percent. 115,247.39 was the intraday high, and 14,429.93 was the lowest.

According to experts, one important factor is Moody’s Ratings’ upgrade of Pakistani banks. Investor confidence has also increased due to the expectation of a positive conclusion from the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In its assessment, Moody’s stated, “We have shifted our outlook on Pakistan’s banking system from stable to positive to reflect the banks’ resilient financial performance as well as improving macroeconomic conditions from very weak levels a year ago.”

The major index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surpassed 115,000 on Thursday, indicating a surge in the market.

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Pakistan resolves to meet benchmarks, and the IMF promises economic help.

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In the midst of an ongoing economic review, the delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has promised Pakistan economic cooperation.

In order to assess the delivery of a $1 billion tranche under the $7 billion rescue deal, IMF officials are now in Pakistan.

Today, March 14, marks the completion of the two-week-long economic review and negotiations between the global lender’s representatives and Pakistani authorities.

The team met with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb at the Ministry of Finance for the last round of negotiations.

The nation’s economic team’s actions and performance were praised by the visiting officials.

Aurangzeb promised the IMF during the conference that all economic goals would be met. He said that as long as the loan program is in place, no goals would be broken.

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