Business

Dollar jumps to Rs300 against rupee in open market

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

“Fall in rupee value expected after caretaker government takes charge.”
Rupee is “expected to devalue further” amid political uncertainty.
Rupee losses Rs3.02 in interbank market to close at Rs291.51.

The rupee on Tuesday tumbled against the US dollar by Rs4 in the open market due to prevailing political uncertainty and falling exports and remittances.

The rupee closed at Rs300 in the open market while it lost Rs3.02 in its value against the greenback to close at Rs291.51 in the interbank market.

Interbank closing #ExchangeRate for today https://t.co/PSffDJrHqg #SBPExchangeRate pic.twitter.com/wz2CYM0KFi
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) August 15, 2023

Speaking to Geo.tv, Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) General Secretary Zafar Paracha said the fall in rupee value was expected after the caretaker government took charge.

He said the interim government is expected to take all measures in line with the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the elected regime avoided.

Moreover, he said the recent move to lift all restrictions on imports to meet IMF conditions was also one of the factors that led to the devaluation of the rupee as the move would put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Paracha added that the drop in remittances to Pakistan from its citizens working abroad to $2 billion in the first month of this fiscal year and falling exports were also the factors behind the rupee depreciation.

He said the rupee is expected to fall further against the US dollar to narrow the gap between open and interbank markets in line with the IMF condition.

The ECAP general secretary also blamed the presence of a grey market and the rise in terror incidents in the country for the rise in dollar value against the rupee.

Business

E&P Companies Will Invest $5 Billion in Pakistan’s Petroleum Industry

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

Over the next three years, local and foreign companies involved in Pakistan’s oil and gas exploration and production sector have shown a strong desire to invest more than $5 billion in the nation’s energy sector.

Recent changes to the Petroleum Policy and the implementation of an exclusive tight gas policy, which provide better incentives and a more investor-friendly regulatory framework, are credited with the increase in investor confidence.

These strategic changes are expected to boost domestic energy production, open up new avenues for growth, and draw large amounts of both domestic and foreign investment.

Business

With inflation slowing, the SBP is anticipated to lower the policy rate for the eighth time in a row.

Published

10 hours ago

Farwa

Businesspeople anticipate another reduction in the policy rate when the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) releases the updated rate.

The interest rate for the upcoming two months will be announced by the central bank. It is still unclear if the rate will stay the same or be lowered to reflect stakeholder expectations.

According to experts, the policy rate will be lowered in order to further boost the nation’s economic sector.

Interest rates may be lowered for the seventh time in a row if the inflation rate declines significantly more than anticipated.

In its last six sessions, the MPC had cut the policy rate by 10 percent. In January 2025, it decreased the rate by one percent to 12pc.

12PC POLICY RATE

In January, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced cut in key policy rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 12 percent from 13pc in line with expectations of the business community.

The policy rate, which had been at 22 percent since June 2024, was slashed by 1,000 basis points to 12 percent.

The SBP governor said the decision was taken with careful consideration. “Although inflation is expected to decline next month (February), core inflation remains a pressing concern,” he stated.

Ahmed highlighted strong remittance inflows and robust export growth as key factors supporting the current account.