Zameen.com launches first property index

KARACHI: Zameen.com has launched a property index, first in the country, which would help investors analyse trends and performance of the real estate market, said a press release on Tuesday.

The index also tracks actual per-square-foot rates of the properties, Zameen.com Co-CEO Imran Ali Khan said.

Standard Chartered swings to $2.36bn net loss

HONG KONG: Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered said Tuesday it swung to a surprise $2.36 billion net loss in 2015 against a backdrop of global market volatility, restructuring costs and bad loans.

Chairman John Peace described the performance as “poor” in what he called a watershed year, which saw the company announce it would axe 15,000 jobs under new CEO Bill Winters.—AFP

BHP profit slumps on weak commodity prices

SYDNEY: Global mining giant BHP Billiton Tuesday posted a first-half net loss of $5.67 billion and slashed dividends as plunging commodity prices hammered the bottom line with the company warning of a prolonged period of volatility.

The result in the six months to Dec 31, dogged by impairments, compared to a $4.26bn profit in the previous corresponding period, with revenue dropping 37 per cent to $15.71bn.

Underlying earnings — which exclude one-off writedowns — were down 92pc to $412m, reflecting the fate of miners around the world who have been hit by an income slump owing to a global economic slowdown, led by key customer China.

Kaymu scales up listings to over 250,000

KARACHI: Kaymu.pk has scaled up its product listings to over 250,000, showcasing a large variety to cater 230 towns/cities in the country, said a press release on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2016