News Archives for Business & Finance - 2026-03-03

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Business & Finance - 2026-03-03

Markets

Banana waste to textile fiber: SMEDA launches ‘innovative’ project

Initiative aimed to promote bio-economy, circular growth in Pakistan .

Published 03 Mar, 2026 10:26pm

Business & Finance

PC board backs inclusion of FFC in AHCL-led consortium for PIA stake sale

Decision follows the 249th meeting of Privatisation Commission Board held in Islamabad

Published 03 Mar, 2026 09:50pm

Middle East

Saudi Aramco seeks to reroute crude away from Strait of Hormuz, sources say

Saudi Arabia produced just over 10 million bpd of crude in January

Published 03 Mar, 2026 07:49pm

Commodities

Aluminium rises as the Middle East conflict fuels supply worries

Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange was up 2.1% at $3,260 a metric ton

Published 03 Mar, 2026 07:35pm

Technology

Apple launches new generation of MacBook laptops starting at $1,099

The MacBook lineup, spanning the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, is a core part of its personal computing business

Published 03 Mar, 2026 07:25pm

Energy

Global oil and gas shipping costs surge as Iran vows to close Strait of Hormuz

Benchmark freight rate for the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) used to ship 2 million barrels of oil from the Middle East to China

Published 03 Mar, 2026 05:28pm

Stocks

Sri Lankan shares drop most since 2022 as Middle East conflict fans energy shortage fears

CSE All-Share index slid to 22,443.38

Published 03 Mar, 2026 05:12pm

Exchange

Rupee records gain against US dollar

Currency settles at 279.45 against greenback

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 05:42pm

Commodities

Gold per tola sheds Rs13,900 in Pakistan

10-gram gold was sold at Rs471,503 after it decreased by Rs11,917

Published 03 Mar, 2026 03:26pm

Companies

Pakistan’s Citi Pharma eyes Rs1–2bn IPO for veterinary subsidiary

Citi Pharma Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has approved the launch of an initial...

Published 03 Mar, 2026 01:54pm

Stocks

Qatar leads Gulf declines on LNG halt, Middle East tensions

Qatar’s benchmark index shed 1.2%, pressured by a 2% drop in Qatar National Bank, the Gulf’s biggest lender by assets

Published 03 Mar, 2026 01:51pm

Stocks

European stocks slide, gas prices soar on Iran war

Frankfurt’s DAX index of top German companies shed 2.0 percent, the Paris CAC 40 lost 1.8 percent and London’s FTSE 100 retreated by 1.4 percent in value

Published 03 Mar, 2026 01:48pm

Markets

Turkiye inflation rose slightly to 31.5% in February

Food prices rose by 6.8 percent over the course of the month, and housing expenditure by 2.4 percent, the figures showed

Published 03 Mar, 2026 01:45pm

Forex

South African rand steady as geopolitical tensions drive safe-haven demand

The rand traded at 16.1475 against the US dollar, little changed from Monday’s close of 16.1175

Published 03 Mar, 2026 12:17pm

Stocks

Shanghai stocks retreat from decade high; HK extends losses on Mideast conflict

the benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 0.29%, after falling 2.14% a day earlier

Published 03 Mar, 2026 12:10pm

Energy

Daily LNG freight rates jump over 40% amid Mideast strikes, Spark Commodities says

Pacific rates rose to $41,000/day, up 45% or $12,750 from the previous day

Published 03 Mar, 2026 11:31am

Mutual Funds

JGB yields jump as Iran war raises inflation fears

The benchmark 10-year JGB yield rose 6 basis points (bps) to 2.12%

Published 03 Mar, 2026 11:23am

Forex

China’s yuan bounces as central bank lifts midpoint by most in six months

Prior to market open on Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China set its midpoint rate at 6.9088 a dollar

Published 03 Mar, 2026 11:07am

Commodities

Iron ore wobbles as investors weigh rising freight costs against falling demand

The most-traded iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was flat at 748.5 yuan ($108.73) a metric ton

Published 03 Mar, 2026 11:03am

Commodities

Palm rangbound as soft exports data offsets firmer rivals, crude

The benchmark palm oil contract for May delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange added 4 ringgit or 0.1% to 4,151 ringgit a metric ton

Published 03 Mar, 2026 11:01am

Commodities

Chicago soy surges, tracking soyoil gains; wheat, corn also up

corn rose on brisk export demand, and wheat also gained

Published 03 Mar, 2026 10:58am

Forex

Australian dollar gets backing from energy, yield buffers

The Aussie was 0.2% firmer at $0.7101, having been as low as $0.7033 at one stage on Monday

Published 03 Mar, 2026 10:51am

Stocks

Australian shares fall on widening Middle East conflict; banks limit losses

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.4% to 9,162.1

Published 03 Mar, 2026 10:48am

Stocks

Nikkei falls as US-Israel air war with Iran escalates

The Nikkei fell 0.8% to 57,613.87 as of 0913 GMT while the broader Topix slipped 1.0% to 3,858.50

Published 03 Mar, 2026 10:46am

Business & Finance

Pakistan’s trade deficit rises 25% to $25bn in July-February

Trade balance stood at $20.04 billion in same period of previous fiscal year

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 05:17pm

Stocks

After record crash, PSX rebounds sharply as KSE-100 surges over 5,100 points

Benchmark index settles at 157,132.09

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 03:37pm

Bullion Rate

Gold extends gains as Middle East war boosts safe-haven demand

Spot ‌gold was up 1% at $5,377.21 per ounce
US gold futures for April delivery were up 1.5% at $5,391.90

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 10:35am

Forex

Yen, euro under pressure as Middle East conflict stokes energy concerns

The dollar benefited from safe-haven demand as the US and Israeli air war against Iran spilled out into neighboring countries

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 10:29am

Energy

Oil prices keep climbing as expanding conflict heightens supply risks

Brent crude futures were up $4.94, or 6%, at $82.68 a barrel

Updated 03 Mar, 2026 05:09pm

Stocks

Stocks slide as Middle East conflict fans inflation fears

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1% to extend losses for a second day, led by a 2.5% tumble in Korean shares, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slumped 0.8%

Published 03 Mar, 2026 07:55am

Pakistan

Appointment as CCP chairperson: MoF awaits retirement of bureaucrat?

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance is reportedly waiting for the retirement of a well connected bureaucrat for...

Published 03 Mar, 2026 07:09am

Stocks

Travel stocks tumble as US-Iran conflict sparks worst disruption since pandemic

Passengers worldwide stranded as conflict hits airlines

Published 03 Mar, 2026 06:20am

Business & Finance

Ongoing FY2025-26: NHA utilises 56pc of allocated funds for 71 projects

ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority has utilised 56 percent of the development allocation in the first six...