Foreign exchange earnings
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves on 30 April 2020 as per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) website were 12.329 billion dollars, a respectable amount given the ongoing global pandemic that…
Who damaged the economy?
Dr Ishrat Husain had described the decade of the 1990s as a ‘lost decade’ for Pakistan. For this writer, however, the decade of 2008-18 was yet another lost decade for…
Budget Speech 2020-21
Mr. Speaker, 1. I start my submissions with the name of Allah Almighty, the most gracious, the most merciful. It is a matter of great honour and pleasure for me…
Decline in China’s exports
Coronavirus has brought the Chinese economy and polyester and textile industries in the country under pressure. Parallel to the 2003 SARS crisis, polyester demand could decrease as business activities stopped.…
Gold rush at Turkish bazaar a test of trust for lowly lira
Hasan Ayhan followed his wife’s instructions last week and took their savings to buy gold at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar as Turks scooped up bullion worth $7 billion in a just…
Export-led growth takeoff
Setting the stage for sustainable economic growth, Pakistan’s exports for the month of December 2020 grew by 18.3% to USD 2.357 billion as compared to USD 1.993 billion in December…
Welcome to the Fourth CIIE in Shanghai’
The Third China International Import EXPO (CIIE) with the theme of “New Era, Shared Future” was successfully held in Shanghai from November 5-10, 2020. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and downward…
Shipping and insurance
Banking and insurance services play a vital role in the economic development of any country. International trade, commerce and industry cannot develop and function without the key role of banking…
The pitfalls of ideology
RECEP Erdogan, president of Turkey, says his faith in Islam stops him from raising bank interest rates. His hard-line position sent the lira tumbling from one low to another; in…
Our urban nightmares
Karachi, a city of around 20 million people, is facing a crisis of governance that is reflected in the poor state of service delivery, and unplanned and unsustainable urbanization -…
