Business

On the edge: Cyclical, immediate challenges Pakistan faces amid deteriorating economic situation

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

I cannot count the number of times in the past month I have heard the term “Pakistan is at a crossroads”. While — like almost every other Pakistani — I may have my opinions on the various conspiracy theories doing the rounds, that is not my topic today.

As an investor in the global emerging market space for close to 30 years, I just want to draw some attention to the seriousness and immediacy of the dire economic issues that Pakistan is facing. Some of these are structural, like water/climate change and population growth etc., and while these are critical to the long-term survival of the country, today I want to talk more about the cyclical and more immediate challenges that the country faces.

I am not looking to ascribe blame to anyone. The fact is that Pakistan has pursued a seriously flawed and failed economic policy for decades and this has now brought it to within a hair’s breadth of collapse.

The unique economic environment created by the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic reaction that followed only exacerbates the challenge.
In fact, in my 30 years, I don’t think I have seen as hostile an environment for weak emerging economies as I do today. Sri Lanka has been the first domino to fall, but Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and several others are not too far behind. These weak economies face a perfect storm, brought about by rising commodity and energy prices, a strong dollar, declining central bank liquidity and an increasingly polarised and less “global” world economic order.

In such a hostile environment one would expect that if a regime is to be replaced it would be done by one that understood the challenges, had a ready and devised plan, and had the political will to execute that plan. Unfortunately, it has not been the case.

In fact, it is quite apparent that there has been a serious miscalculation as to the challenges the country finds itself in. It appears that the assumption was that “bad governance” and economic missteps of the previous government were the main reason that Pakistan found itself in the predicament that it was in.

So, now we find ourselves in a situation where severe economic difficulty and distress have been amplified by unnecessary political uncertainty.

While the PTI government did nothing to reverse the economic slide that was perpetuated by previous regimes, the fact is that Pakistan’s current economic mess is primarily a combination of the structural weaknesses that have always existed together with a unique global environment that is causing havoc in most weak emerging economies.

The talk today is about raising energy prices or not, as if this one decision will resolve all the issues. This will only kick the can down the road, and that too only if the IMF and the GCC countries come through with the required support that is expected once the energy subsidies are withdrawn.

But that is like putting a band-aid when surgery is required. Pakistan has lived well beyond its means for most of its independent life, but this has never been more true than in the last 20 years.

Credit rating agencies like S&P Global and Moody’s have a concept called a “sovereign ceiling” this essentially means that at the end of the day your credit rating is only as good as the country where you are based. The biggest example is the current environment in Ukraine.

Ukraine is home to some of the globally strongest and most profitable companies in areas like steel, poultry, and grain production, if these companies were based in countries like Germany or the US, they would be rated high investment grade.

However, their ratings are constrained by the fact that Ukraine has a low “junk” rating, so is the case with many companies in Turkey, and in other countries in the Emerging markets. At the micro-level, this concept applies not only to corporations and banks but also to individuals.

Just because you are an affluent individual living in Pakistan, does not mean that you can afford the same lifestyle that you could in the US or the UK, and if you try to do that, the country pays the price.

My goal as a Pakistani is to live for the day when we don’t “celebrate” IMF and GCC aid packages. But that can only happen if we start living within our means, and try to extricate ourselves from the debt spiral we are in. This will take very hard decisions, let me give you a few examples.

A ban on most luxury items, including large engine cars and SUVS, in fact, given the current energy environment there should be an immediate ban on even the current use of these vehicles in Pakistan.
At least while energy prices are up here, closing all consumer-related commercial establishments by 7pm on weekdays in order to limit energy usage.
Taxing land and agriculture.
Working on renewable energy and many more.

Some of the above measures can be taken immediately, some will require legislation, but all will require political will. A seriously miscalculated (in my view) political experiment has brought Pakistan close to the edge of an economic cliff, the next few weeks/months will decide if we are going to fall off or not.

— The author is a Pakistani American who is the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director for Arqaam Capital’s Fixed income asset management business, based in Dubai.

Business

In intraday fluctuations, the rupee achieves a slight gain against the US dollar.

Published

15 hours ago

Farwa

The Pakistani rupee rose 0.04% versus the US dollar during early trading hours on Tuesday in the interbank market.

At 10 a.m., the rupee stood at 278.12 against the US dollar, up Re0.12 from the previous day’s finish of 278.24, which had seen a small decrease of Re0.03.

In a momentous development, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Pakistan next week for important talks with Pakistani leaders.

These talks are scheduled to feature the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) targeted at increasing Saudi investment in industries such as agriculture, mining, human resources, energy, chemicals, and shipping.

On the global front, the US dollar rose against the yen on Tuesday, as huge interest rate differentials weighed on the Japanese currency.

The US dollar climbed 0.22% to 154.235 yen in early Asian trading, adding to its 0.58% rise the day before. On Friday, the yen fell to its lowest level since April 10, weighed down by softer-than-expected monthly US jobs data and signals of likely Bank of Japan action.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose slightly after Israeli strikes on Rafah in Gaza, amid continued talks with Hamas over a truce. Brent crude prices increased 0.28% to $83.56 per barrel at 0400 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.31% to $78.72 a barrel.

This increase comes after a reversal of last week’s slump, during which both contracts suffered their worst weekly losses in three months, fueled by fears about disappointing US job statistics and speculation about the timing of a Federal Reserve rate decrease.

Business

Saudi investment and falling inflation cause Pakistani stocks to soar.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The benchmark KSE-100 Index increased by more than 1.50 percent on Monday, driven by the possibility of significant Saudi investment. Investors are now more optimistic that the central bank will soon begin a cycle of interest rate cuts, and another IMF programme is very much on the horizon.

The KSE-100 Index increased by 910.25 points, or 1.27 percent, by 1:29 pm PST to close at 72,812.34, having reached an intraday high of 73,060.74.

Additionally, on Monday, Ibrahim Al Mubarak, the deputy minister of investments for Saudi Arabia, stated that his nation preferred Pakistan’s economic growth and thought it was the best place to make investments.

The news is definitely good for equities that have been cheap since their market capitalization peaked in 2017, as many industries—energy, agriculture, technology, and mining being the primary ones—can now attract much-needed foreign investment.

The inflation of Pakistan

The consumer price index (CPI) for April increased by 17.3 percent, the lowest level since May 2022. This led to the benchmark index rising by 1244.45 points, or 1.76 percent, during the last session on Friday of last week.

This indicates that, like in March, annual inflation declined for the fourth straight month in April and stayed below the current record high interest rates of 22 percent. like a result, the State Bank of Pakistan may decide to begin reducing interest rates at its upcoming meeting on June 10.

While the pattern seen on Friday was also influenced by a market correction, the persistence of this most recent upswing indicates that investors are anticipating an economic recovery in the context of falling inflation and impending Saudi Arabian investment.

IMF APPEAL

In the meantime, the IMF continues to play a significant role in Pakistan, influencing not just public policy but also private sector initiatives and the lives of common citizens. Furthermore, the market was undoubtedly helped by the world’s largest lender’s most recent announcement of the upcoming transaction negotiations.

The Bretton Woods Institution said on Sunday that a delegation was scheduled to visit Pakistan this month to talk about a new initiative, prior to Islamabad starting the annual budget-making process for the upcoming fiscal year.

Although Pakistan’s $3 billion short-term programme helped prevent a sovereign default last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has emphasised the necessity for a new, longer-term initiative.

The IMF responded to Reuters via email, saying that a mission is anticipated to visit Pakistan in May to review the FY25 budget, policies, and reforms under a proposed new programme for the wellbeing of all Pakistanis.

MERCURABLE BY SAMPLE

Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would pay a visit to Pakistan later this month. The kingdom has been making massive investments all over the world in an effort to become a more significant player in world affairs.

It makes sense that after years of political unrest and economic hardship, his presence and the Saudi investment will aid Pakistan in establishing itself as a desirable location for investors.

The explanation is straightforward: Saudi Arabia continues to be a significant actor in world politics. Nonetheless, the globe has begun to view MBS, the crown prince’s nickname, as a role model due to his policies of diversifying his nation’s economy and elevating the kingdom to a centre of commerce.

Business

Saudi investment is most suited for Pakistan, according to Ibrahim Al-Mubarak

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Ibrahim Al Mubarak, the deputy minister of investments for Saudi Arabia, stated on Monday that his nation thought Pakistan was the best place to invest and wanted to see it flourish economically.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Investment Forum 2024 in Islamabad, he stated that Saudi entrepreneurs were open to making investments in a variety of industries and that a significant portion of Pakistanis were contributing significantly to the growth of the kingdom.

ON THE DRIVING SEAT: PRIVATE SECTOR

Muhammad Aurangzeb, the finance minister, stated in his speech that the private sector should take the “driving seat” in order to revitalise the economy.

The finance minister stated, “The ministers and bureaucracy would have to lay back,” adding that the role of the government was to establish a framework.

According to Aurangzeb, the finance ministry was always there to support traders and company owners as he pursued economic reforms as part of the government’s objective.

Using the better rupee exchange rate as an example, he claimed that successful policies were bringing about economic stability.

The minister also mentioned that the government was trying to draw in foreign investment, but he also emphasised the need for continued policies to maintain economic stability and urged collaboration between the public and private sectors to build a robust economy.

Investing in Saudi Arabia

A high-level group of 50 Saudi businesspeople and investors, together with government representatives, arrived in Pakistan earlier on Sunday to attend an event aimed at encouraging investment from the oil-rich Gulf State.

Continue reading: Saudi entrepreneurs arrive in Islamabad as Pakistan seeks foreign investment

This happened only a few days after Saudi Arabia hosted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development in Riyadh. During his visit, he also had talks on a number of topics with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

SUMMARY CONVERSATIONS

The audience was informed by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal that every attempt would be made to facilitate international investors and have fruitful discussions between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Representatives from thirty Saudi firms made the comments while in Pakistan looking for opportunities to engage in a range of industries, such as agriculture, aviation, human resources, and minerals.

Islamabad has been depending on Saudi investment to spark economic activity in the nation, which will not only boost investor confidence domestically but also aid in persuading businessmen from other countries to prioritise Pakistan, given that the country’s economy is crippled by inflation and high interest rates.

Not a shortage of proficient labourers

In his speech, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum, Musadik Malik, emphasised the country’s recent rapid progress as well as the necessity of deepening the two countries’ already-existing bilateral relations.

He claimed that Gwadar would soon become a global transit hub and that Pakistan possessed abundant mineral riches. Malik assured the audience that Pakistan did not lack skilled labour.

It’s a narrative in progress. Details will be provided later.