Morning News: Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Commission meeting on Wednesday – By Vector Research
Dec 11 2024
Vector Securities
- The meeting of the Joint Commission between Pakistan and Tajikistan will be held here on Wednesday, December 11, with an aim to further strengthen bilateral trade ties between the two countries.
- According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the federal and provincial governments’ borrowing from scheduled banks for budgetary support experienced a significant decline with Rs 2.018 trillion retirement during July-November of FY25 as against borrowing of Rs 2.89 trillion in the same period of the previousfiscal year (FY24).
- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors is likely to approve “Second Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP-2)” worth $240 million on Thursday, aimed at providing safely managed water and sanitation services in Karachi and increase Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC)’s financial and operational performance.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGP): FY24 Corporate Briefing Takeaways - By Taurus Research
Jun 5 2025
Taurus Securities
- SNGP, largest integrated natural gas utility in Pakistan, posted a record profit of ~PKR 18.97Bn in FY24, supported by all-time high sales of ~PKR 1Bn.
- Pakistan’s energy mix includes 30% natural gas (69% from SNGP, 31% from SSGC), 11% RLNG, 21% oil, 15% coal, 12% hydropower, 7% nuclear, and 4% from LPG and renewables combined.
- SNGPs ownership is split between 32% direct and 42% indirect Government holding, with the remaining 26% held by the public and others.
Autos: May-2025 sales to record highest levels since Dec-2022 - By JS Research
Jun 5 2025
JS Global Capital
- We preview automobile sales volumes for May-2025, expecting the three major players including Indus Motors Company Ltd (INDU), Honda Atlas Cars Ltd (HCAR), and Pak Suzuki Motor Company Ltd, representing 84% of the four-wheeler market, to post a major volumetric growth of 44%/49% YoY/MoM, reaching ~13.3k units.
- INDU and HCAR are expected to lead monthly growth with volumes up 2.4x and 69% YoY, respectively. The 49% MoM increase is largely due to delivery delays led by protest on highways over canal projects. Overall, we anticipate a 38% YoY growth for our sample in 11MFY25.
- We highlight key risks in the FY26 budget to include a potential carbon tax on petrol vehicles, reduced average tariffs on imported cars, extension of used car import age limit from 3 to 5 years, and higher sales tax on vehicles up to 800cc – all of which could significantly impact the auto industry sales.
Economy: Pre-Budget FY26 Market Sentiments - By Chase Research
Jun 5 2025
- Chase Securities conducted a pre-budget survey in the run up to the annual budget announcement.
- A total of 44 participants provided their insights on key issues.
- We believe that these insights are key to identifying market sentiments and gauging the confidence in the equity market.
- 27% of the participants expect KSE-100 to be above 150,000 points by the end of June 2026.
Technical Outlook: KSE-100; Upside to continue - By JS Research
Jun 5 2025
JS Global Capital
- Bulls continued to dominate the session as the KSE-100 Index gained 1,348 points DoD, closing at the 121,799 level. Trading volumes stood at 711mn shares, up from 578mn shares previously. We believe a break above 121,882 (yesterday’s high) will sustain the uptrend, with 123,375 and 125,947 as the next targets. On the downside, support is seen between 120,900 and 121,170, with a break below this range likely to trigger a corrective phase. Both the RSI and MACD are trending upward, reinforcing a positive outlook. We recommend investors 'Buy on dips,' while keeping a stop-loss below the 120,896 level. The support and resistance are at 121,169 and 122,155, respectively.
Morning News: Pakistan, ADB sign $300m ‘Subprogram II’ loan - By WE Reserach
Jun 5 2025
- The government of Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $300 million loan agreement under the “Improved Resource Mobilization and Utilization Reform Programme (Subprogramme-II),” aimed at supporting Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilization and fiscal consolidation through structural reforms in trade, revenue generation, and capital market development. The agreement, signed by Dr. Kazim Niaz and ADB Country Director Emma Fan, is part of a broader $800 million financing package that includes a $500 million Policy Based Guarantee (PBG) to help raise $1 billion in commercial financing, reinforcing Pakistan’s efforts toward economic recovery and sustainability.
- At a lively early Independence Day celebration hosted by the US Embassy in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a “new era” in US-Pakistan relations, emphasizing shared democratic values and historical ties dating back to 1947. Speaking to a crowd of political leaders, diplomats, and civil society members, Sharif acknowledged America’s longstanding development support while highlighting Pakistan’s heavy sacrifices in the fight against terrorism—over 90,000 lives lost and $150 billion in economic damage. He also criticized India over a recent conflict, calling the Pahalgam incident a false-flag operation and accusing New Delhi of civilian targeting, while affirming Pakistan’s military response. Despite tensions, Sharif expressed a desire for regional peace and praised former US President Trump for his role in de-escalating hostilities. Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker echoed the spirit of partnership, speaking in Urdu and highlighting shared values and mutual respect.
- Pakistan’s finance team is in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to maintain the current 5% Federal Excise Duty (FED) on fertilisers and drop a proposed 5% FED on pesticides in the 2025–26 budget, following intervention by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Prime Minister has also directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to reassess the proposed import tariff rationalisation plan to prevent negative impacts on the import bill. While the IMF appears to have relented on fertiliser and pesticide taxes after Pakistan argued these could hurt agricultural productivity—especially alongside the introduction of the Agriculture Income Tax (AIT)—it remains firm on imposing General Sales Tax (GST) in the formerly exempt FATA/PATA regions. Despite previous political efforts to preserve the exemption, a reduced GST rate of 12% is now expected to be implemented there in the upcoming fiscal year.
Morning News: IMF wants ‘strict compliance’ as budget enters final stages - By Vector Research
Jun 5 2025
Vector Securities
- Amid final consultations on the budget, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants strict compliance with programme requirements, including the coverage of agriculture income tax in provincial budgets to ensure effective collection starting no later than September 2025. The Fund also does not agree with a plan for incentivising enhanced power consumption desired by the federal government to absorb surplus capacity.
- The government of Pakistan and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday signed a $300 million loan agreement for the “Improved Resource Mobilization and Utilization Reform Programme (Subprogramme-II).
- The National Economic Council (NEC) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Wednesday approved the national development outlay of Rs4.224 trillion (Rs4,224 billion), including federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) of Rs1,000 billion for the next budget. The real GDP growth has been envisaged at 4.2 per cent of GDP and CPIbased inflation at 7.5 per cent for FY2025-26.
Cement: May'25 local offtakes reach 21-month high amid improvement in construction activity - By AKD Research
Jun 4 2025
AKD Securities
- Cement dispatches for May’25 clocked in at 4.65mn tons, an increase of 9%YoY, driven by 9%YoY surge in local offtakes, while exports increased by 7%YoY.
- Industry-wide capacity utilization increased to 66% (up 4.6ppt YoY), highest in 21 months.
- We maintain a positive outlook on the sector on the back of anticipated gross margin expansion due to improvement in retention prices and declining power cost, supported by declining interest cost.
Fertilizers: Slight demand pick-up ahead of the Budget - By JS Research
Jun 4 2025
JS Global Capital
- As per provisional figures, Urea off-take during May 2025 is expected to clock in at 420k tons, up 6% YoY/67% MoM. This marks the first YoY growth in Urea sales volumes after a sustained period of weak performance since CYTD. While DAP volumes likely to arrive at 94k tons (+2.3x YoY). CYTD urea/ DAP sales are likely to post 31%/20% YoY decline.
- Company-wise, Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) is expected to post Urea off-take of 206k tons in May-2025, down 28% YoY. In contrast, Engro Fertilizers (EFERT) is expected to post 86% YoY growth reflecting a low base-effect, while the company is also expected to surpass the CYTD monthly run-rate.
- Urea inventory is expected to reach an 8-year high of 1.3mn tons in May-2025, similar to the levels seen during the same month in 2017/ 2020, which were later offloaded due to exports / strong sales in latter months. Although the chances for govt allowing exports are low at this point, however, any such allowance would favor EFERT more than the peers.
Refinery: GRMs Sharply Recovering - By Sherman Research
Jun 4 2025
Sherman Securities
- After plunging to lowest level of US$4.5 per barrel in April 25, Gross Refining Margins (GRMs) of local refineries significantly recovered to US$9.3 per barrel during ongoing month of June. This is positive for local refineries as their earnings are directly linked with changes in GRMs.
- Just to recall, highest GRM was recorded at US$30 per barrel during July 2022 while average GRMs during last 5 years stood at US$7 per barrel.
- GRM is the sum of the weighted average spread of products which a refinery is yielding on every barrel of crude it processes. Major products include Diesel (HSD), Gasoline (MS) and Furnace oil (FO).
Cement: May’25 dispatches up 39%MoM - By Taurus Research
Jun 4 2025
Taurus Securities
- Total Cement dispatches in May’25 up 39%MoM on the back of reviving construction demand i.e. Domestic sales went up 46% MoM to 3.6Mn tons. Whereas, total export sales up 20%MoM on account of better retention prices and surge in demand post Indo-Pak de-escalation which benefited North Players, mainly. On a YoY basis, total domestic sales were up 9% in May’25 as lower interest rates and record low inflation have supported players to improve their margins and increased volumes. Although, higher duties and taxes on the cement sector have reduced the overall demand, resulting in overcapacity.
- North-based domestic sales increased 42%MoM in May’25 due to surge in the construction activities amid seasonal demand and better volumes i.e. lower retail prices compared to the South region. Wherein, export sales were up significantly by 1.1xMoM on the revival of regional sales post Indo-Pak deescalation. South-based domestic sales surged by 64%MoM in May’25 amid revival of the construction demand. On the export front, South-based exports were up 5%MoM, respectively.
- On a YoY basis, North-based domestic sales surged 10%YoY in May’25 due to pick up in construction demand on the back of lower interest rates and record low inflation. Similarly, Northbased exports were up significantly by 48%YoY, reflecting higher demand from the export regions. On the South front, domestic sales during May’25 increased by 5%YoY. However, export sales dropped 2%YoY to 0.75Mn tons, respectively.
Morning News: Rate cut; KIBOR drops across all tenors - By Vector Research
May 7 2025
Vector Securities
- The Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (KIBOR) declined across all tenors on Tuesday, following a cut in the key policy rate by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
- Standard & Poor’s Global Market Intelligence on Tuesday forecast further rate cuts by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) during the current fiscal year following a 100bps reduction to 11pc by the Monetary Policy Committee on Monday. In a brief analysis, S&P Global Market Intelligence said the SBP delivered a larger-than-expected rate cut to 11pc as headline inflation bottomed out.
- The total number of Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) has crossed 0.8 million with the addition of 8092 new accounts in March 2025 while the volume of funds received in RDA so far surpassed the $ 10 billion mark.
Morning News: Policy rate slashed to 11% - By Vector Research
May 6 2025
Vector Securities
- Beating the market expectations of a 50 basis points (bps) cut, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has slashed the policy rate by 100 bps to 11%, effective May 6, 2025, reflecting easing inflationary pressures. However, the central bank has highlighted that the broader economic landscape remains fraught with challenges, including sluggish GDP growth, weak large-scale manufacturing, persistent fiscal slippages, and external sector vulnerabilities.
- Sustained escalation in tensions with India would likely weigh on Pakistan’s growth and hamper the government’s ongoing fiscal consolidation, setting back Pakistan’s progress in achieving macroeconomic stability, said Moody’s Investors Services (Moody’s). The rating agency also stated that higher defence spending would potentially weigh on India’s fiscal strength and slow its fiscal consolidation.
- Efforts are under way to jack up real GDP growth to around 3 percent for the current fiscal year amid low investment and savings rates. Top official sources confirmed to The News that it is yet to be ascertained from where this level of growth will be achieved at a time of contraction in the Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) and dismal performance in the major crops of the agriculture sector. Second quarter growth was jacked up by tinkering with livestock growth, which is the highest in the history of the country.
Morning News: Higher export reliance on US market: IMF cautions Pakistan over US tariff adjustments - By Vector Research
May 2 2025
Vector Securities
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that recent changes in US import tariff adjustments could disproportionately affect Jordan and Pakistan, given their significant shares of exports to the US market. In its Regional Economic Outlook, the IMF revised Pakistan’s GDP growth projection downward to 2.6 percent for the current fiscal year, from an earlier estimate of 3.2 percent. For the next fiscal year, GDP growth is projected at 3.6 percent.
- Growth for Pakistan is expected to remain broadly unchanged in fiscal year 2025, reflecting a 0.6 percentage point downward revision from October because of weaker activity during the first half of fiscal year 2025 and heightened trade uncertainty more than offsetting the positive impact of recent and further expected monetary easing over the second half of this year, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- Pakistan’s international bonds dropped more than 1 cent on Wednesday after Lahore said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action soon as tensions escalate between the nuclear-armed neighbours. The 2036 bond suffered the biggest decline, falling 1.3 cents to be bid at 71.85 cents in the dollar, Tradeweb data showed, though bid-ask spreads of around 1 cent pointed to limited liquidity.
Morning News: Roshan Digital Account inflows hit $235m in March, total crosses $10bn - By Vector Research
Apr 17 2025
Vector Securities
- Total inflows into Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) reached $235 million in March 2025, pushing cumulative inflows past the $10 billion mark, according to the latest data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
- Terming Pakistan’s tax system highly ‘unfair and absurd’, the World Bank (WB) has called for bringing property into the tax net while ensuring it is accurately recorded and taxed. According to the WB, the increased burden on the salaried class could only be reduced by expanding the tax base and incorporating all incomes into the tax net.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday credited Beijing with Islamabad’s IMF programme saying it wouldn’t have been possible without the neighbouring country’s support. The premier’s remarks — made during a ceremony held in connection with the PM’s initiative for capacity building of 1,000 agriculture graduates in China — came in the context of last month’s deal between Islamabad and the IMF on the first review of the ongoing 37-month bailout programme of $7 billion.
Morning News: IMF concludes Pak visit, set to propose transparency reforms - By Vector Research
Apr 15 2025
Vector Securities
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified key shortcomings in Pakistan's governance, including the politicisation of the civil service, weak organisational accountability, and excessive focus on short-term goals. These issues, the IMF noted, contribute to broader governance weaknesses and increase vulnerability to corruption. The report which is expected to be made public by August this year will give recommendations for ensuring greater transparency and improving the public sector delivery by minimising the chances of corruption and through merit-based decisions.
- With the halt of USAID operations by President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s total portfolio of $445 million has been affected over five years, surfacing a gap of $40 million for the current fiscal year for on-budget development projects. “However, in a positive development on the external front, Fitch Ratings might upgrade Pakistan’s rating within a few days”, top official sources confirmed while talking to The News on Monday. The Fitch might upgrade from a notch of CCC+ to BBB keeping in view the reduced risk of default.
- Members of the delegation of US congressmen visiting Pakistan have described their trip to the South Asian country as "extremely productive" and “significant for the future", which is good news for the mineral-rich country. The delegation also attended the Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum 25 (PMIF25) last week in Islamabad.
Morning News: IMF team due next week to discuss taxation proposals for next budget - By Vector Research
Apr 11 2025
Vector Securities
- A technical team of the IMF will be visiting Pakistan from next week for holding parleys with the FBR high-ups to discuss taxation proposals for the upcoming budget 2025-26.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday blocked a proposal to waive the 18% sales tax on local supplies of commodities, raw materials, and machinery to registered exporters due to a possible reaction from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in coordination with the Ministry of Climate Change and Envi-ronmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A), has identified five preliminary bankable projects valued at over USD 1 billion.
Morning News: Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Commission meeting on Wednesday – By Vector Research
Dec 11 2024
Vector Securities
- The meeting of the Joint Commission between Pakistan and Tajikistan will be held here on Wednesday, December 11, with an aim to further strengthen bilateral trade ties between the two countries.
- According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the federal and provincial governments’ borrowing from scheduled banks for budgetary support experienced a significant decline with Rs 2.018 trillion retirement during July-November of FY25 as against borrowing of Rs 2.89 trillion in the same period of the previousfiscal year (FY24).
- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors is likely to approve “Second Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP-2)” worth $240 million on Thursday, aimed at providing safely managed water and sanitation services in Karachi and increase Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC)’s financial and operational performance.