|
| August 04, 2008 | Monday | Sha’aban 1, 1429 |
Modified oil pricing: too little too late
 AT the current levels, the recent oil “pricing rationalisation” will provide an estimated annual saving of Rs20-22 billion to the government. However, this window dressing would not benefit the inflation-hit consumers but help marginally contain the rising fiscal deficit....
|
|
A muted response to economic challenges
 The central bank’s monetary policy for the first half of FY 08-09 is a muted response to the challenges the economy confronts. Why, after listing all them in detail, the policy...
|
|
||
Punjab for greater fiscal autonomy
 The question of greater financial autonomy for the provinces is most likely to dominate the new National Finance Commission (NFC) deliberations, officials in the Punjab finance department tell Dawn....
|
|
Farms without subsidies
 CAN Pakistan succeed where even the developed economies like those of the US and the European Union even fear to tread — running farming sector without subsidies? Many analysts believe any such attempt is bound to fail....
|
|
|
||
Streamlining the subsistence poultry farming
 The poultry sector is one of the significant segments of the agriculture sector in which about 15 million people are engaged directly and indirectly. At present investment in this sector is around Rs200 billion....
|
|
Need for rural hydro-power units
A significant portion of the population, particularly those living in low density scattered settlements, are still without electricity. These people depend on traditional biomass and kerosene to meet their daily energy needs....
|
|
|
||
Animal diseases and public health
 HUMAN health is inextricably linked to animal health and production. This link between human and animal populations, and with the surrounding environment, is particularly close where animals provide transportation, drau-ght power,...
|
|
Missed business opportunities
Shankar, a salesman in a roadside clay pottery shop, reached for a work knife to prevail over a customer haggling over the price of decorative doorbells, forcing the Pakistani customer to comply with his demand....
|
|
|
||
The growing informal economy
 Pakistan’s black economy is believed to have grown to be more than half the formal economy which yields a GDP of $166 billion....
|
|
Untapped hydropower potential of Punjab
 As the nation faces the worse power crisis of recent times, the government is exploring possibilities of creating additional capacity for generating electricity optimally, on an emergent basis....
|
|
|
||
Rising home remittances
 Remittances by 3-4 million of overseas residents continue to set new records, bringing many blessings. The remittances crossed over $6.451 billion in 2007-08 and were up by $957.59...
|
|
World commodities
Oil...Oil fell towards $121 a barrel on July 29, touching the lowest price since mid May, as signs of weakening demand outweighed a disruption to Nigerian oil output. Oil has fallen from a record high ...
|
|
|
||
Futile battle against inflation
 THE Reserve Bank of India’s continuing – but evidently futile – battle against inflation has started pinching the average middle-class....
|
|
An outlook on foreign portfolio investment
 The government is expecting around $2 billion portfolio investment as a result of strict regulatory framework, recently introduced to enhance investors’ confidence and foster growth of a robust corporate culture....
|
|
|
||
‘China price’and export opportunities
 In the last decade, increased production matched consistent improvement in the quality of manufactured goods, and the resultant demand pressures led to increases in price of raw materials and commodities....
|
|
Non-profitable organisations to be taxed
At the time of promulgating the Income Tax law in 2001, the tax authorities tried to tax incomes of a number of non-profitable institutions. It was an ill-conceived move which was...
|
|
|
||
Between hope and despair
 British Gas raised its prices midway through last week which is threatening to push up the rate of inflation further and at a faster pace....
|
|
Foreign aid vs social policy
 In the wake of stock market meltdown and falling value of the rupee, Pakistan’s economic managers are hoping for some external help to bail the economy out of trouble....
|
|
|
||
|
Unobserved law and a defunct institution
The ineffectiveness of the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act 2005 and the Central Board of Co-ordination for Fiscal and Monetary Policies, virtually a dead forum—is amply demonstrated by an analysis...
|
|
Grim and unsustainable fiscal situation
 In the quarter century or so I have spent studying the Pakistani economy I don’t believe I have seen the country faced with such difficulties as it does today....
|
|
|
||
Stocks plunge on capping of oil firms’ margin
 SHARE values last week again finished sharply lower as the KSE 100-share index took another massive plunge at the weekend session followed by reports of margin calls on some of the...
|
|
Rupee down on dollar demand
 The country is facing severe political and economic crisis since the past few months. Uncertain situation has eroded investment confidence and adversely affected business and trade activities....
|
|
|
||
No bid received for 6-month paper
 The State Bank of Pakistan further tightened the monetary policy for another six months, by raising the discount rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 13 per cent effective July 30, 2008....
|
|
Commodity prices fall as demand declines
 TRADING activity on the Karachi wholesale commodity markets last week remained relatively slow partly owing to the monsoon rains and partly to slackness in demand followed by selling by some commercial houses....
|
|
|
||
