menu_open
Shahid Iqbal

Shahid Iqbal

Business Recorder

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

T-bills more attractive bet than equities

KARACHI: Domestic bonds have proven more attractive to foreign investors than the record-breaking equity market during the first nine days of the...

latest 4

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Bad loans surge by Rs70bn in 2023

KARACHI: The non-performing loans (NPLs) of the banking sector increased by 7.6 per cent, or Rs70 billion, during 2023, according to data released by...

yesterday 100

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Current account posts highest surplus in 9 years

KARACHI: The current account posted a nine-year-high surplus in March, making it possible for the country to bring down the overall deficit to below...

previous day 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

NBFIs lose ground amid lack of financing by banks

KARACHI: Non-banking fina­n­cial institutions (NBFIs) are in distress amid a slump in financing from banks during the current financial year (FY24)....

21.04.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Govt borrows record Rs5.5tr from banks

KARACHI: Within a week, the government borrowed over Rs650 billion from banks to meet its rising expenditure, reflecting the consequence of high...

20.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

High yields dim rate cut hopes

KARACHI: The government surpassed the target and raised significantly more funds than the maturity amount through an auction of treasury bills on...

18.04.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Dollar gains belie hopes for higher inflows

KARACHI: Despite mounting optimism for increased inflows and a new IMF bailout package, the US dollar strengthened in the inter-bank market while the...

16.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Private sector borrowing slips 37pc in July-March

KARACHI: Amid an uncertain economic outlook with high downside risks, the private sector’s participation in economic growth remains unnoticeable as...

14.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

SBP repays $1bn against euro bonds

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has repaid $1 billion against euro bonds, creating goodwill for the bonds in the near future. Pakistan on...

14.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Rupee holds steady ahead of holidays

KARACHI: In the lead-up to the Eid holiday break, the rupee displayed resilience, staying steady against the US dollar in Tuesday’s interbank...

10.04.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Remittances at two-year high during Ramazan

KARACHI: The quantum of remittances increased to almost $3 billion in March, taking it to the highest level since April 2022, primarily due to...

09.04.2024 7

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Economy suffers amid drop in private sector participation

KARACHI: Private sector participation in the economy is now lower than what it was in FY23, which saw a negative growth. The State Bank’s latest...

07.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Government borrows record Rs4.7tr from banks

KARACHI: The government’s borrowing from banks reached Rs4.7 trillion, with an addition of Rs700 billion within the last two months. The State Bank...

06.04.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Depreciation fears prompt exporters to sell dollars

KARACHI: Banks are experiencing a surplus of dollars, driven by exporters swiftly selling their earnings in anticipation of further depreciation of...

05.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

‘Surprise’ hike in six-month T-bill rates despite sharp fall in inflation

• Jump in benchmark tenor against expectations of some market dealers • Others say rise in the treasury bill cut-off yield ‘has no connection’...

04.04.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Japanese firms reluctant to expand business

KARACHI: Japanese companies operating in Pakistan are least interested in further investment to expand their businesses, while the country ranked...

02.04.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Remittances to rise before Eidul Fitr

KARACHI: The higher dollar influx in Ramazan has compensated for the lower inflows through exchange companies in February, currency dealers said on...

31.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Aurangzeb urges banks to boost lending to key sectors

KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Auran­gzeb has asked banks to enhance lending to priority sectors to stimulate economic growth and development in...

30.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Rupee keeps going up amid IMF inflow hopes

KARACHI: For the last three months, the rupee continued appreciating against the US dollar, reaching close to Rs277 in the interbank market on Tuesday...

27.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Bonds begin to attract dollars

KARACHI: The continued stability in the exchange rate has made treasury bills (T-bills) attractive for foreign investors, as increased inflows noted...

26.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Private sector borrowings decline by 70pc

KARACHI: Bank advances to the private sector plunged over 70 per cent in more than eight months of the current fiscal year indicating the lowest...

23.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

SBP reserves cross $8bn mark, again

KARACHI: Foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increased by $105 million to reach $8 billion again. The SBP’s report on...

22.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

FDI returns to positive territory in February

KARACHI: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) jumped 16 per cent year-on-year to $131.2 million in February, the State Bank reported on Wednesday. The...

21.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Current account in $128m surplus

KARACHI: The current account posted a surplus in February, contrary to the preceding month, raising hopes that the government would achieve the...

20.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Fears grow over impact of cheaper dollar

KARACHI: The government does not like to see further devaluation of dollar against the rupee as it impacts both imports and exports, said currency...

17.03.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Budgetary borrowing surges 59pc in July-Feb

KARACHI: The budgetary borrowing surged by 59 per cent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, reflecting the higher government...

16.03.2024 90

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Dollar falls to five-month low against rupee

KARACHI: The formation of a new government and positive signals from the International Monetary Fund have brought down the dollar to a five-month low...

15.03.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Mobile banking transactions surpass Rs11tr in October-December

KARACHI: The central bank has revealed a significant upswing in digital banking transactions during the second quarter (October-December) of the...

14.03.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Video of half-printed currency notes triggers outrage on social media

The screengrabs from the video show the misprinted reverse side of what would otherwise be legal tender. KARACHI: A video purportedly made by a bank...

13.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Dollar sales to banks fell by $70m in Feb

KARACHI. The selling of dollars to banks fell by $70 million in February, said currency dealers on Monday. The open market had been selling over $300m...

12.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Govt gets room to ‘manage’ exchange rate as IMF looks the other way

KARACHI: The Internatio­nal Monetary Fund (IMF) has ignored the ‘managed exchange rate’ in Pakistan, providing space for policymakers to...

10.03.2024 70

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Remittances jump 13pc n February

KARACHI: The remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis increased year-on-year in February, while the cumulative inflows for the first eight months of...

09.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

‘Big data’ usage must for sustainable growth: SBP

KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed has said that the unprecedented volume of data generated by digital devices underscores the...

07.03.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Dollar’s upward trend fuels speculation

KARACHI: At the beginning of March, the US dollar started moving upward against the rupee, creating space for speculative forces to take advantage,...

06.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Receding Kibor sparks rate cut hopes

KARACHI: The Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (Kibor) has started to recede, reflecting both the money market’s reaction to low inflation and...

05.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Exporters reap Rs8 premium per dollar

KARACHI: Fear is high for the appreciation of the dollar as the premium for two months of forward selling has reached Rs8 per dollar, and exchange...

03.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Fresh data paves way for interest rate cut

KARACHI: The latest trade and inflation data has fostered a renewed sense of optimism among financial markets, researchers and bankers, sparking...

02.03.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

$2bn rollover by China shields forex reserves

KARACHI: Extending a yet another major relief to cash-strapped Islamabad, the Chinese government has rolled over its $2 billion loan, which was due in...

01.03.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

SBP arranging $1.8bn to repay China

KARACHI: The financial market dealing with foreign exchange is tense on reports about the expected higher dollar outflows. Sources in the financial...

29.02.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Bank profits surge 83pc in 2023

KARACHI: Commer­cial banks posted an impressive 83 per cent earnings growth during 2023, with almost all banks recording their historic profits...

28.02.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Equities, T-bills attract $98m in January

KARACHI: The foreign investments in equity and treasury bills (T-bills) surged to $98 million in January, surpassing the peak of $65m in December...

25.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Repayments continue to pose serious challenge

KARACHI: The nation’s battle with debt repayment has intensified amid a drop in the State Bank’s foreign exchange reserves and rising political...

23.02.2024 9

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Hopes for interest rate cut fade away

KARACHI: The cut-off yield for short-term treasury bills has risen by 126 basis points on the back of inflationary pressures as hopes fade away for...

22.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Foreign direct investment outflow hits six-year peak on instability

KARACHI: The net outflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) hit a six-year high at $173 million in January reflecting the uncertain political...

20.02.2024 30

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Current account turns red in January

KARACHI: The first month of the second half of the current fiscal year posted a current account deficit (CAD) of $269 million, but the deficit shrank...

20.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Conventional banks trail Islamic peers in lending

KARACHI: Conventional banks lag far behind Islamic banks in lending to the private sector, with conventional banks still in the negative zone at the...

17.02.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

IMF’s liberal import plan may imperil stable rupee

KARACHI: The latest proposal of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to further liberalise imports could destabilise rupee-dollar parity, said market...

16.02.2024 20

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Demand for Saudi riyals jumps by 30pc

KARACHI: The dem­a­nd for Saudi riyals suddenly jumped by 30 per cent in the open market but the price remained stable, Exchange Compa­nies...

14.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Remittances jump by 26pc in January

KARACHI: Workers’ remittances increased 26.2 per cent year on year in January but the overall inflows were down by 3pc in the first 7 months of...

13.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

Pakistani businesses opt for Dubai amid uncertainty

KARACHI: During the past 20 months, Pakistani businessmen and rich individuals have not only been investing heavily in Dubai’s real estate but also...

11.02.2024 10

Dawn Business

Shahid Iqbal

e459aee7f5becf603ea85ed530c77fe6