Foreign investment jumps by 137% in first quarter of FY20: SBP data

Tahir Sherani Published October 17, 2019

Total investment during the July-September period clocks in at $886m as compare to $374m during the same period in 2018. — AFP/File

Total foreign investment into the country jumped by 137 per cent, or $512 million, in the first quarter of the financial year 2019-20, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported on Thursday.

The total investment during the July-September 2019 period clocked in at $886 million as compared to $374m during the same period in 2018.

In a breakup of the total investment, the central bank posted a 51pc increase in foreign private investment during the period under review. The investment under this head increased to $564m during the three-month period in contrast with $374m during the same quarter last year.

Foreign direct investment (FDI), however, decreased by 3pc during the period under review to $542 million as compared to $559m during the same months last year.

On a month-on-month basis, total foreign investment rose to $622m during September 2019 as compared to $126m during the same month in 2018. The FDI also increased to $385m during September as opposed to $182m during September 2018.

Tahir Sherani is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn News (TV) with 16 years of experience. His coverage focuses on the national economy, energy, cabinet affairs, the Establishment Division, and the Prime Minister’s Office.

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Gordon D. Walker

Oct 17, 2019 10:51pm

Amazing... Keep up the progress. Gordon D. Walker Canada

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WasiTunio

Oct 17, 2019 10:57pm

Imran Khan's hardwork fetching awesome results but a lot is to be heard,endured and done.We pray for good for our present and future.

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Taimoor

Oct 17, 2019 11:00pm

Great news! PTI's policies have started to show results.

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Supporter- PTI

Oct 17, 2019 11:02pm

Pakistan is blessed with a great leader in the form of Imran Khan. Our economy is on the right track, thanks to untiring efforts of our great and respectable leader.

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Oct 17, 2019 11:09pm

Efforts, Patience and Consistency Will Definitely Pay Off

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Anilkumar Chakravarty

Oct 17, 2019 11:10pm

May be China's investment. Wait they will buy you and enslave you.

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yogi

Oct 17, 2019 11:11pm

Such a low value and any changes in percentage sounds big

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Ali

Oct 17, 2019 11:12pm

Things are improving..slowly but surely..Pakistan is even progressing on social uplift,where there was abysmal performance before now there is improvement. Simply because no government paid any attention to such things before.

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azam

Oct 17, 2019 11:22pm

Slowly but surely the ship is turning, take into account that engine and rudder is not working thanks to the previous thugs. People need to realise it was all false economy previously and the current adjustments push things in line to what was the real standings. Have patience and the fruits will surely be sweet.

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Fastrack

Oct 17, 2019 11:39pm

You ain't seen nothing yet.

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Hani

Oct 17, 2019 11:52pm

Now where are all the idiots criticicizing incumbent goverenment insane financial policies. Let the time pass and give them few years, INSHAAllah you will witness a new Pakistan.

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Newborn

Oct 18, 2019 12:39am

Loans or investment.

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ASM123

Oct 18, 2019 12:41am

To everyone celebrating please know this "investment" is foreign banks depositing cash to take advantage of our sky high interest rates. Once they pull their money out you will see disastrous consequences. This is exactly what happened to Egypt but please keep celebrating if this brings you joy for now.

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A Shah

Oct 18, 2019 01:57am

This is very low!

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Ahmed

Oct 18, 2019 02:17am

Good if it benefits Pakistan but data does not always tell the full story. Foreign private investment could just only be change of title. Anyway net cash inflow could be a better measure for Pakistan which needs imported capital for its development.

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Pathanoo

Oct 18, 2019 02:26am

It's a drop in the ocean.

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Pakistani

Oct 18, 2019 02:42am

Hard work of Khan finally paying off

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ASM123

Oct 18, 2019 03:27am

This "direct investment" are foreign banks taking advantage of our high interest rates and parking their money here for now. Please see what happened to Egypt from this sort of FDI after they pullout out their money.

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Ali

Oct 18, 2019 03:32am

Finally a good news. IA we'll bounce back to big development.

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Zak

Oct 18, 2019 03:43am

We can quadruple these figures, as our potential is immense

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Gp65

Oct 18, 2019 04:03am

“Foreign direct investment (FDI), however, decreased by 3pc during the period under review to $542 million as compared to $559m during the same months last year.” Foreign direct investment is what creates jobs. That has decreased. What has increased is money that came to the stock market because it was standing at 4 year lows. This is hot money. Can go out as quickly as it came in.

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Oct 18, 2019 04:20am

Loans are not investments

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Ajit

Oct 18, 2019 04:33am

Wow great! Now no worries....

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minsk

Oct 18, 2019 04:54am

FDI declined so this must be FPI - hot money flowing into government bonds. Pak tax payers will have to pay a heavy burden for this. When they take the money out after 3-6 months they will also take out double digit interest returns all of which will weaken the rupee.

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INDMKB

Oct 18, 2019 05:05am

Kudos to PM Imran khan

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INDMKB

Oct 18, 2019 05:10am

Pakistan was lucky to get a great leader Imran khan at the helm of affairs when the country was going through a tough time Mr hafeez shaikh and FBR chairman also deserve credit for turning PM Imran khan vision to reality

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INDMKB

Oct 18, 2019 05:11am

Don’t know why Indians are so obsessed with our Internal matters

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Adi

Oct 18, 2019 05:23am

Waite for next quarter results, statistics over short period are usually not conclusive. There are always jumps and dips. Hope for the best but be realistic.

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Political unbeknownst.

Oct 18, 2019 05:38am

Congratulations to PM Imran Khan and his wonderful team. Keep it up. The continuing of FDI, and foreign investments, can appreciate rupees value to earlier level of Rs 100/$ . or even better.

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Rao Salman

Oct 18, 2019 06:12am

@Anilkumar Chakravarty, why does it bother you

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Poocho

Oct 18, 2019 06:27am

Before one buys into this might need to deconstruct. Where did it come from? Is it productive investment, in services, consumer goods? Is it lumpy -- one or two investments?

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Oct 18, 2019 06:32am

Good job. Maintain peace.

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Oct 18, 2019 06:40am

@Anilkumar Chakravarty, boy these indians has so mush love and care for Pakistan,they just can't hide it! who says they are enemy? they are so worried about Pakistani's getting enslaved by China! BTW they know thing or two about being enslave,they were enslaved by outsiders for centuries! hence the worry! wink wink.

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Munawarali

Oct 18, 2019 06:53am

The newspaper must for transparency deaden difference between FDI and foreign private investment. If it’s foreign investment in stock exchange then it’s irrelevant and not worth considering at all.

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Jalal Jawad

Oct 18, 2019 07:19am

The naive public can easily be given some economic data and be sold as progress . The reality is we are borrowing from IMF to survive and we will do as directed by the IMF . There is no possibility of overall growth on export or industrial output in one quarter and most of these economic data points are due to windowing of events . The real problem with our country is this burning desire to willingly be delusional . Please collect information from a wide variety of sources and judge in an unbiased way and a lot becomes visible . We will prosper as a nation only if we get seriously competitive and stop living in dreamland.

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Eagle eyes

Oct 18, 2019 07:34am

If the amount in the base year is miniscule, a marginal increase will also appear big in percentage terms.

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iffi

Oct 18, 2019 05:14pm

Zabardast IK ... please keep up the good work ...

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