New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) Pakistan’s economy remains under pressure, as its decision to secure a $600 million short-term loan from Standard Chartered Bank has once again highlighted the country’s fragile external financing position amid mounting fiscal and external challenges, according to a new report.According to an Asian News Post report, the loan is priced at SOFR plus 2.6 per cent — translating to an interest rate of around 6.3 per cent — aimed at supporting foreign exchange reserves,…
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Seoul, April 3 (IANS) South Korea’s foreign reserves posted their sharpest monthly decline in about a year in March amid a stronger dollar and authorities’ efforts to manage exchange rate volatility, the central bank said on Friday.The country’s foreign reserves stood at US$423.66 billion as of end-March, down $3.97 billion from a month earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).It was the sharpest decline since April 2025, when the amount fell by $4.99 billion on-month, reports…
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) Factors like regional conflict and the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz account for only a portion of the increase in fuel prices in Pakistan, according to a new report, which stresses that the majority reflects “structural mismanagement, delayed reforms, and political considerations”.The Pakistan Observer report mentions that officials described the Middle East situation as an exceptional global crisis, while emphasising that precautionary steps had already be…
Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Pakistan is actively seeking to project itself as a mediator, a reflection of the pressures and constraints it faces, both external and internal, according to a report. A meeting was recently held in Islamabad, which witnessed the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. However, the actual parties to the conflict – Israel, the US, and Iran were not part of the meeting. This portrayal of Pakistan as a potential mediator …
Seoul, Feb 26 (IANS) South Korea’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady on Thursday, citing stronger-than-expected growth momentum, as it sought to safeguard financial stability amid a weak local currency and an unstable housing market.In a widely expected decision, the Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) held the key rate unchanged at 2.5 percent in its latest rate-setting meeting in Seoul, reports Yonhap news agency.It marked the sixth consecutive on-hold decision,…
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Poverty in Pakistan has risen to its highest level in 11 years, with nearly 29 per cent of the population now living below the poverty line, according to an official survey released by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.The report cited by The Express Tribune showed that around 70 million people are living in extreme poverty, based on a monthly poverty line of Rs 8,484, which is considered the minimum amount needed to meet basic needs.The preliminary findings for the fiscal y…
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Pakistan has been struggling with a deepening economic crisis for years, marked by mounting external debt pressures, stagnant growth, and structural weaknesses caused by decades of poor governance and over-reliance on external financing, according to a report.Pakistan’s total external debt stands at approximately $134 billion (as of late 2025 data), representing a heavy load relative to GDP, according to an article in One World Outlook.It faces external debt repayment c…
Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) China’s real GDP growth in 2025 is expected to be at about 2.5-3 per cent, far below the government’s stated target of around 5 per cent, raising critical questions about the true health of the world’s second-largest economy, the reliability of official statistics, a report has said.The report from Mizzima News said that the gap is driven mainly by a sharp decline in fixed assets and property investment, persistent producer‑price deflation, and enduring weakness in …