22 November 2004 Monday 09 Shawwal 1425 'Insider trading' cases prod the SECP to act The public outrage at several successive stories of "insider trading" in equities that were picked up by the press, has forced the chief corporate watch dog not simply to bark but also to bite. ... Growth policies, de-industrialization and unemployment Vigorous pursuit of the IMF-sponsored policies of liberalization in Pakistan during the last decade and a half or so are clearly reflected in the long-term trends of such important basic indicators as the industry and agriculture sectors ... Exports in a changing world economy Pakistan's exports have fallen marginally to $993 million during October 2004 as against over $1.1 billion in the same month last year. But what is more significant that the export volumes of a wide-range of products including textiles ... Subsidizing the surplus producer The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the government are on the horns of a dilemma: to accelerate the economic growth by enlarging the private sector bank credit steadily, or to hold down the inflation by restricting the growth of private sector credit? ... Washington Consensus revisited The term Washington Consensus gained currency in 1990s and was often used to describe Washington's concurrence, or dictates, in policies that the IMF and the World Bank impose on poor countries apparently to lift their economies out of crisis but actually bringing ... Trade deficit rising too fast In July-October 2004, Pakistan's trade deficit increased fourfold to $1.432 billion from $315 million in July-October 2003. Most observers tend to link this dramatic rise in the trade deficit to higher international oil prices. ... Transnational energy pipelines: a Trojan horse In colonial days, the occupying powers exploited the natural resources of the colonies and transported them back to the seats of their empires. ... Anyone for the Palestinian economy! The Palestinian struggle has not been without huge economic costs. The population in the Palestinian territory rose from above 2.0 million in 1993 when the Oslo peace accord was signed in Washington D.C. ... Global environment for exports There is an intimate relationship between a firm's marketing strategy and the external environment. Threats and opportunities present in the external environment constrain and aid marketing efforts. ... Debit cards getting popular In an era characterised by credit card culture, debit cards are gaining popularity, among all sorts of bank account holders. In the western countries, the debit card was already quite popular. ... Challenges before National Water Council In the past few days, the government has taken important decisions to cope with the water related problems. The decision to set-up a high-level permanent national water council (NWC) is an important step in the right direction ... Achieving self-reliance in wheat The wheat crop has a special place in our economy for providing food and feed to the human and livestock. This year Pakistan imported the commodity to fulfil the food requirements. ... Oil palm: a crop of the future Agriculture, a major economic activity employs half of the country's labour force and generates nearly fourth of the gross national product. ... SBP guidelines for project financing The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has placed on its website the Draft Guidelines for Infrastructure Project Financing (IPF) and invited suggestions by 30th November 2004. ... Investors shift from over-valued to low-priced counters The post-Eid trading week on the Karachi Stock Exchange saw fresh widespread gains on almost all counters as investors were not inclined to take even a technical breather after riding the bandwagon. ... Rupee maintains firm posture The rupee maintained a firm posture against the dollar in the inter-bank market in the pre-holiday sessions last week ended November 13. It, however, failed to track the same pattern in the open market ...

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