Tag Archives: Economy

Zardari invites Japan to help revive Pakistan’s economy

February 23, 2011 on by APP

Zardari invites Japan to help revive Pakistan’s economy

February 23, 2011 on by App

TOKYO – Seeking cooperation of investors to explore enormous possibilities of strengthening and expanding business relations with Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday invited the Japanese business community to rejuvenate Pakistan’s economy through their individual contribution, joint venture or consortia.
Commenting on investment-friendly environment established by the present government, the president said, “The government has designated a 2000-acre Special Economic

Zardari and top businessmen to discuss economy

February 15, 2011 on by Javed Mahmood

KARACHI – President Asif Ali Zardari is holding a crucial meeting with the members of Pakistan Business Council (PBC) on Feb 17 in Islamabad to discuss economic revival agenda, floated recently by the council. Sources told Pakistan Today on Monday that during the meeting the president, economic team of the government and the PBC’s representatives, who belong to the leading corporate sector entities in the country, would discuss the issues raised by the council to revive the ailing

Chinese economy overtakes Japan’s, becomes number two

February 15, 2011 on by Reuters

TOKYO – Japan’s economy shrank slightly in the final quarter of 2010 but analysts expect a recovery this year as stronger exports to China and other parts of fast-growing Asia offset persistently weak domestic demand. The latest GDP figures confirmed analysts’ estimates that China pulled ahead of Japan in 2010 as the world’s second-biggest economy behind the US on a seasonally unadjusted, nominal dollar basis, at $5.8786 trillion against $5.4742 trillion.
The data confirmed Japan

PIAF wants clear headed action on economy

February 11, 2011 on by Staff Report

LAHORE – The government should devote attention to real economic issues and come up with a comprehensive solution to the challenges that the business community is presently facing. These views were expressed by former LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar while speaking at the Annual General Meeting of Lahore Township Industries Association.
MNA Naseer Bhutta, former LCCI presidents Mian Shafqat Ali, Mohammad Ali Mian and newly elected Lahore Township Industries Association Chairman

PBC urges prompt steps to kick start economy

February 11, 2011 on by Javed Mahmood And Ghulam Abbas

KARACHI – Expressing concern at the grave condition of the national economy, Pakistan Business Council (PBC) has asked the government to implement urgent steps to steer the derailed economy back on track. The PBC members said that the council is ready to fulfill its role as a catalyst to support the government in crafting a precise agenda to put economy on path towards stability and growth.
Former Commerce Minister Abdul Razzak Dawood, MCB Chief and PBC Chairman Mian Muhammad

Former CCP chief gives his take on the economy

February 10, 2011 on by Staff Report

LAHORE – Government deficits, lack of both economic vision and political will are major challenges the country is facing on the economic front. Regulators have failed to make a tangible difference as the government has completely overlooked their prescribed role.
These observations were made by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) former Chairman Khalid Mirza, while addressing the members of Lahore Economic Journalists Association (LEJA) here on Wednesday. He was

Egypt revolt takes toll on economy

February 9, 2011 on by Afp

CAIRO – Egypt’s popular revolt has opened up new political perspectives for the biggest country in the Middle East but dealt the economy a serious blow, scaring off tourists and foreign investors. “The crisis is costing the economy at least 310 million dollars daily,” since it began on January 25, said a report from Credit Agricole, lowering a growth forecast for 2011 from 5.3 percent to 3.7 percent.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation with 80 million people, was already

Economy to grow by 3pc: State Bank

February 3, 2011 on by Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI – Forecasting Pakistan’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth at two to three percent, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that the country’s external accounts would deteriorate during second half of the current fiscal year. In its first Quarterly Report for 2010-11, the central bank has projected that persistent energy shortages and growing arrears of energy payments would continue to dampen economic activity in the country.
The Report on the state of

PML-N-PPP beat about the bush as economy crumbles

January 23, 2011 on by Amer Sial

ISLAMABAD – The two rounds of negotiations between the government and PML-N committees have so far not touched real issues plaguing the economy, as both sides have been working on cosmetic exercises, while issues such as subsidies, borrowing from the central bank and the much-needed mobilisation of additional revenue resources remain untouched.
A source in the Finance Ministry told Pakistan Today that most of the issues confronting the national economy lingered on since 1990s,

Luxury apartments for MPs in a grim economy?

January 22, 2011 on by Staff Report

LAHORE – The Concerned Citizens Society of Pakistan (CCP), a non-governmental organisation, has condemned the inauguration for luxury apartments construction for National Assembly members by prime minister here the other day. In a statement issued on Friday, the CCP criticised the PM Gilani for his reported statement that the government was facing the ‘economic threat’ and not the ‘political’ one, while he was inaugurating the work on Rs.3billion luxury apartments.
“The CCP

China’s economy grows 10.3pc

January 21, 2011 on by Afp

BEIJING – China formally announced that its economy grew 10.3 percent in 2010, marking the fastest annual pace since the onset of the global crisis, but concerns about persistent inflation sent Asian markets tumbling.
The data has fuelled expectations for a stronger currency – a change that Washington has pressed for during President Hu Jintao’s high-profile US visit this week – as China pulls on a variety of levers to rein in consumer prices.
Gross domestic product rose 9.8

US voters credit Obama for economy upswing

January 19, 2011 on by Afp

WASHINGTON – US voters are seeing signs of a brighter economy and are crediting President Barack Obama for the upturn, but by a narrow margin want Congress to repeal his health care overhaul, a poll showed on Tuesday.
The Quinnipiac University poll showed that 54 percent of respondents said they believed the US economy is beginning to recover, with 43 percent disagreeing. Nonetheless, the survey showed a 53 to 40 percent majority disapproved of Obama’s economic management.

Joint statement – Germany to assist Pakistan in economy, trade sectors

January 11, 2011 on by Staff Report

ISLAMABAD – Germany and Pakistan have agreed to enhance cooperation in economic, trade and investment fields and to initiate a strategic dialogue to boost bilateral ties, said a joint statement issued here by the foreign office on Monday.
These developments were result of Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle’s visit to Pakistan on January 8th and 9th.
Westerwelle held meetings with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Prime Minister Yusuf

Economy in deep peril, while Lilliputians at war

January 1, 2011 on by Amer Sial

ISLAMABAD – At a time when the national economy is heading towards a breakdown, political parties are engrossed in petty politicking instead of sitting together to contain the looming crisis.
The fiscal deficit is estimated to increase to a record 7.5 percent of the GDP, or Rs 1.2 trillion, by the end of the current fiscal year, compared to the budgetary estimate of 4 percent of GDP or Rs 685 billion.
The International Monetary Fund has given the country another nine months

Economy battered by multiple setbacks

December 31, 2010 on by Nauman Tasleem

LAHORE – Pakistan’s economy remained under tremendous pressure in 2010, as the crippling energy shortage, liquidity crunch, multiplying bad loans, low growth rate, high budget deficit and massive summer floods took a toll on the macroeconomic health of the country.
The reformed General Sales Tax (GST) remained a hot and divisive issue throughout the year as political parties, instead of evaluating its advantages and disadvantages, politicised and polarised the debate. The GST

Brazil to be fifth largest economy by 2016: Lula

December 29, 2010 on by Afp

RIO DE JANEIRO – Outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has claimed that Brazil would be the world’s fifth biggest economy by 2016, as he laid the cornerstone of a new Fiat factory.
“Fiat was right to set up in north-eastern Brazil, and if it were up to me, whether I am president or not, other companies would set up in other states” in the region, Lula said Pernambuco state. “Brazil will be the fifth largest economy in the world before the Olympic Games” to be held in Rio

Impact of the IMF extension on the economy

December 29, 2010 on by Reuters

KARACHI – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday approved a nine-month extension of Pakistan’s $11 billion loan, which was scheduled to end this year.
The standby loan programme had two tranches remaining, but will now run through Sept. 30, 2011, with the two tranches broken up and spread out over that time.
Here are some questions and answers on the nine-month extension.
The government initially requested a nine-month extension to have time to finish

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