Cement sales for the first quarter ending September was unexciting, but it hasn left cement manufacturers dumbfounded. On the heels of a two-month long flood soap opera, which engendered supply disruptions and brought construction across monsoon-hit regions to a standstill, the market had already envisaged a weak cement off-take.

To laymen, a currency note is simply a means to buy some things. But to governments and central banks, its a significant tool for economic management, as is being witnessed in the form of roller coaster rides some currencies have been taking over the past few weeks.

You are travelling at top speed along the highway, when you realize the traffic is going the other way. Such seems to be the case in currency markets these days. The Pakistani Rupee (PKR) has been on a slippery slope for the past few years against its trading partners and competitors.