Business

Why gold prices not released in Pakistan today?

Published

2 years 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

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.