Business

Dollar goes down as do yields, yen

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

After last week’s clear-out in the bond market, investors are back to trading near-term rate expectations.

With an eye on Wednesday’s US inflation data, traders in Asia nudged both yields and the dollar a whisker lower on Tuesday.

Two-year and ten-year Treasury yields are back below 5% and 4%, respectively.

News aided stocks, with Alibaba (9988.HK) extending gains on hopes that a $984 million fine for Ant Group signalled the end of a years-long crackdown that has hammered the Chinese tech sector.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing seemed also to meet low expectations, with few signs that testy relations are getting better but also little suggestion they’re getting worse.

The yen is in the driver’s seat in foreign exchange markets, as investors pull back on high-yielding bets in emerging markets that have been funded by cheaply borrowed yen.

Such trades are placed by selling yen for dollars and then dollars for emerging-market currencies such as the peso or the real, so reversing them requires selling dollars for yen. The yen has risen to the strong side of 141 per dollar for the first time in three weeks.

Elsewhere in Asia the extension of a support package for China’s property sector helped Hong Kong developers. The Hang Seng (.HSI) rose 1.5%.

The events calendar is relatively bare until US CPI data on Wednesday and US earnings later in the week, although final German inflation figures and British jobs data are due later on Tuesday.

Economists expect UK unemployment to hold at 3.8%, which is likely to add upward pressure on wages and interest rates.

That seems to be lending speculative support to the British currency, with sterling longs near their highest in five years and the spot price touching a 15-month top in the Asia session.

Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday:

British jobs data
Final German CPI

Business

With its second-largest surge ever, PSX approaches 114,000 points.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Driven by renewed activity from both private and government financial institutions, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw its second-largest rally in history on Monday.

The market regained many important levels in a single trading session as it rose with previously unheard-of momentum.

Intraday trading saw a top increase of 4,676 points, and the PSX’s benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 4,411 points to settle at 113,924 points. This impressive rebound demonstrated significant investor confidence by reestablishing the 100,000, 111,000, 112,000, and 113,000-point levels.

The market also saw the 114,000-point limit reestablished during the trading session.

The positive tendency was reflected when the market’s heavyweight shares touched its upper circuits. Among the most busiest trading sessions in recent memory, an astounding 85.78 billion shares worth a total of Rs55 billion were exchanged.

Experts credited the spike to heightened institutional investor activity and hope for macroeconomic recovery. Considered a major market recovery, the rally demonstrated the market’s tenacity and development potential.

Business

In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee beats the US dollar.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

In the international exchange market, the US dollar has continued to weaken in relation to the Pakistani rupee.

The dollar fell to Rs278.10 from Rs278.17 at the beginning of interbank trading, according to currency dealers, a seven paisa loss.

In the meantime, there was a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but it recovered and moved into the positive zone. The KSE-100 index recovered momentum and reached 116,000 points after soaring 1,300 points.

Both currency and stock market swings, according to analysts, are a reflection of ongoing market adjustments and economic uncertainty.

Business

Phase II of CPEC: China-Pakistan Partnership Enters a New Era

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

The cornerstone of economic cooperation between the two brothers and all-weather friends is still the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the initiative’s flagship project.

In contrast to reports of a slowdown, recent events indicate a renewed vigour and strategic emphasis on pushing the second phase of CPEC, known as CPEC Phase-2, according to the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.

According to the statement, this crucial stage seeks to reshape the foundation of bilateral ties via increased cooperation, cutting-edge technology transfer, and revolutionary socioeconomic initiatives.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal is leading Pakistan’s participation in a number of high-profile gatherings in China, such as the 3rd Forum on China-Indian Ocean Region Development Cooperation in Kunming and the High-Level Seminar on CPEC-2 in Beijing.

His involvement demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to reviving CPEC, resolving outstanding concerns, and developing a strong phase-2 roadmap that considers both countries’ long-term prosperity.

At the core of these interactions is China’s steadfast determination to turn CPEC into a strategic alliance that promotes development, progress, and connectivity.

Instead of being marginalised, CPEC is developing into a multifaceted framework with five main thematic corridors: the Opening-Up/Regional Connectivity Corridor, the Innovation Corridor, the Green Corridor, the Growth Corridor, and the Livelihood-Enhancing Corridor.

With the help of projects like these, the two countries will fortify their partnership, and CPEC phase-2 will become a model of global economic integration and collaboration that benefits not just China and Pakistan but the entire region.