October 6, 2019 (MLN): The country’s financial profile was brought into clearer picture with the following data releases over the course of the week:

• The Weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the Combined Group increased by 0.19% during the week ended Sep 26, 2019 while the SPI increased by 18.16% compared to the corresponding period from last year.
• Pakistan's Forex Reserves decreased by USD 768.90 Million or 4.87% and the total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at USD 15,003.70 Million on Sep 27, 2019.
• Pakistan's Yearly Inflation Rate (New Base 2015-16) in September 2019 was 11.37 percent compared to 10.49 percent in August 2019 and 5.4 percent in September 2018.
• Pak Rupee's Real Effective Exchange Rate Index (REER) increased by 3.31 percent in August 2019 to a provisional value of 92.71 from the revised value of 89.74 in July 2019.
• The cement sector posted first real growth during September this year as the total dispatches increased by 11.51 percent compared with the corresponding period of last year; with both local consumption and exports increasing in double digits.
• The import of fertilizers manufactured during first two months of current financial year decreased by 70.88% as compared the imports of the corresponding period of last year.
• The export of plastic materials from the country during the first two months of current financial year (2019-20) witnessed decline of 8.11 percent as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
• The exports of raw cotton from the country during first two months of current financial year witnessed about 152.33% increase as compared the corresponding period of last year.
• Food group imports into the country during first two months of current financial year reduced by 28.81% as compared the corresponding period of last year.
• Cotton bales equivalent to 2.9 million reached ginneries all over Pakistan as of October 01, 2019, resgistering a decline of 27.5 percent as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
• The Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) has revised down cotton production target for the running season by almost 24% to touch 10.02 million bales against the initial target of 13.34 million bales.  The change in weather, heat and pest attack has led to lowering of the cotton production.
• The exports of surgical goods and medical instruments during first two months of current financial year increased by 24.52% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
• The exports of base metals and articles from the country grew by 35.62 percent during the first two months of current financial year (2019-20) as compared to the corresponding months of last year.
• The government of Pakistan has acquired an additional debt of Rs.157.17 billion during the week ended September 27, 2019, which brings its total net borrowing for ongoing fiscal year 2020 to Rs.259.43 billion. As of prior week, the government had borrowed a net sum of Rs.102.26 billion.
• The non-government sector has borrowed a net sum of Rs.59.28 billion during the week ended September 27, 2019, which brings the cumulative net retirement for ongoing fiscal year FY2020 to Rs.90.04 billion. The net retirement as of prior week was recorded at Rs.149.32 billion.
• Out of the total of Rs154966.835 million allocated for National Highway Authority (NHA) road infrastructure projects under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the government of Pakistan has released Rs13630.294 million till September 27.
• The federal government has so far released Rs102.935 billion for various ongoing and new social sector uplift projects under its Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2019-20, as against the total allocation of Rs 701 billion.

Copyright Mettis Link News

30375