In defence of our startups
Much has been said about the rise of the startup ecosystem in Pakistan. From enthusiastic cheerleading to words of caution and cynicism,...
Have we peaked yet?
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recently hiked interest rates by another 125 basis points, bringing the benchmark policy rate to a...
The evolving middle-east geopolitical chessboard
U.S. President Joe Biden this week travels to the Middle East where he will meet leaders of Israel and nine Arab States,...
Cooling the economy
For more than a year now, we have been hearing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) tell us about how well the...
Hot N Cold (The SBP’s Version)
The SBP has been moody lately. They’ve been changing their mind constantly, releasing confusing monetary policy statements, and have failed to communicate...
Winter is coming for the startups
“Winter is coming. We know what’s coming with it.” This line from the television show Game of Thrones, which is based on...
Exhausting the taxed
Pakistan has had a consistently low tax-GDP ratio for decades, staying below peer countries and barely touching 12 percent in a boom...
Last mile to the IMF
Matters have advanced rapidly with the IMF since the government took the difficult decisions on the fuel price adjustments and the budget,...
Paper cut
Commodity prices don’t increase in isolation, they mostly move in tandem. Just like the butterfly effect wherein a butterfly fluttering its wings...
A Freu-Darian slip of the tongue?
An Ishaq Dar shaped shadow hangs over Miftah Ismail and all of us
Failing to communicating
Clarity and consistency. These are two of the most important elements of crisis communications, especially during an economic crisis. Given the fact...
Slow rockets and fast feathers: Why exports fall fast but increase slowly after exchange rate changes
There’s no exportable surplus.
That is the typical response you get from private sector and policy makers alike when you ask why Pakistani...
Sit down, Mr Dar!
For a number of weeks, now former finance minister Ishaq Dar has been providing unsolicited input into the economic decision-making of the...
A primer on refinery margins
To a casual observer, refining is a boring and largely commoditized business often exposed to volatility in commodity prices. During the last...
What imperils the mobile phone industry?
Another day another industry raising its voice about issues it is facing with regards to doing business in Pakistan. It is a...