News Archives for Business & Finance - 2026-05-20

Business & Finance - 2026-05-20

Business & Finance

PM Shehbaz, UK NSA discuss security, trade cooperation

PM Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to strengthening ties with the UK, discussing expanded cooperation in security, trade, investment, and development with UK NSA Jonathan Powell.

Published 20 May, 2026 10:29pm

Forex

India to conduct $5 billion dollar/rupee swap as FX pain persists

RBI has sold dollars at an estimated pace of $1 billion per day in recent sessions

Published 20 May, 2026 10:01pm

Stocks

Wall St rises on chips' strength ahead of Nvidia results

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 32.63 points, or 0.07%, to 49,396.51

Published 20 May, 2026 08:10pm

Companies

Southwest Airlines to expand India global centre to 1,000 employees, executive says

'We’re starting off (with hiring) on the core engineering side … platform engineering, cloud engineering, network engineering,' Kallepalli says

Published 20 May, 2026 08:05pm

Stocks

Sri Lankan shares slide on broad sectoral losses

CSE All Share index settled 2.28% lower at 21,789.05.

Published 20 May, 2026 07:59pm

Financial

India bonds gain on foreign-bank buying as oil cools

Benchmark 6.48% 2035 bond yield dipped 3.4 basis points to end at 7.0761%

Published 20 May, 2026 07:52pm

Business & Finance

Pakistan, China reaffirm ‘ironclad’ ties as PM meets senior Chinese official

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's "All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership" with China, celebrating 75 years of diplomatic ties and advancing CPEC's next phase.

Published 20 May, 2026 07:17pm

Stocks

Gulf bourses fall as US-Iran uncertainty keeps investors cautious

Dubai’s benchmark stock index fell 0.6%

Published 20 May, 2026 07:04pm

Business & Finance

SIFC facilitates progress on Sapphire soda ash production project

SIFC has advanced the Sapphire Soda Ash Project, securing 2.7 cusecs of water. This move is set to significantly boost Pakistan's industrial base, reduce import reliance, and create jobs.

Published 20 May, 2026 06:58pm

Technology

Budget 2026-27: GSMA pushes for affordable mobile services, devices

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has urged the government to rationalise telecom...

Published 20 May, 2026 06:56pm

Business & Finance

PC board grants approvals for first closing of PIA privatisation transaction

Pakistan's Privatisation Commission Board has approved crucial steps for the first closing of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) privatisation, moving the landmark transaction forward.

Published 20 May, 2026 06:28pm

Markets

AI helping India's engineering hubs generate IP faster, Daimler Truck exec says

India has long been a base for technology support and back-office functions for global companies

Published 20 May, 2026 05:23pm

Companies

India's Kalpataru, Shangrila Infracon plan debt fundraise via private credit funds, sources say

Kalpataru Properties plans to raise 16.35 billion rupees through four-year and nine-day bonds

Published 20 May, 2026 04:57pm

Financial

India's muni bond market expands as nearly dozen cities set for debut issues

Seven municipal bodies in the western Indian state of Maharashtra are prepping issues worth at least 33 billion Indian rupees

Published 20 May, 2026 04:49pm

Exchange

Rupee gains further ground against US dollar

Settles at 278.56

Updated 20 May, 2026 09:38pm

Commodities

Copper ticks higher on Chile supply worries and hopes for Iran war deal

Benchmark three-month copper on the LME was up 0.4% to $13,470 a metric ton

Published 20 May, 2026 04:10pm

Forex

India central bank's daily $1 billion FX defence struggles to turn Indian rupee tide, bankers say

Bankers estimate the RBI's daily dollar sales in the spot market to be between $800 million to $2 billion in recent days

Published 20 May, 2026 03:54pm

Currency

Indian rupee hits record low near 97/USD on oil, US Treasury yield strain

Indian rupee slid to 96.96 per dollar

Published 20 May, 2026 03:49pm

Stocks

Reliance helps Indian shares, but Iran war caution persists

Nifty 50 rose 0.17% to 23,659, while the BSE Sensex added 0.16% to 75,318.39

Published 20 May, 2026 03:44pm

Business & Finance

Govt, AIIB discuss key motorway projects in Pakistan

The Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Konstantin Limitovskiy, along with Director...

Published 20 May, 2026 03:20pm

Business & Finance

Textile sector exports up 1.3%

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s textile sector exports showed an increase of 1.29 percent, reaching USD 15.025 billion during...

Published 20 May, 2026 02:32pm

Energy

Pakistan revives offshore oil, gas hunt after two decades

23 blocks awarded across 54,600 sq km, promising up to $1 billion in investment and energy security

Updated 20 May, 2026 10:09pm

Forex

Sterling dips after data shows UK inflation cooled in April

Sterling was last down 0.07% at $1.3384. The euro was flat against the pound at 86.65 pence

Published 20 May, 2026 12:56pm

Commodities

Gold price per tola drops Rs6,800 in Pakistan

International rate of gold declines by $68 to reach $4,480 per per ounce

Updated 20 May, 2026 06:32pm

Commodities

Jordan issues tender to buy up to 120,000 metric tons wheat, traders say

The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is June 2

Published 20 May, 2026 12:26pm

Companies

Conditional barrels, unconditional volatility: Oil’s new market reality

Market analysis written by Christopher Tahir, Senior Financial Markets Strategist at Exness. From custodial crude to...

Published 20 May, 2026 12:22pm

Markets

Commerzbank workers protest UniCredit takeover attempt

Employees, blowing whistles and many dressed in corporate yellow

Published 20 May, 2026 12:20pm

Energy

Pakistan's power generation down 10% in April as hydel generation dips

Power generation in Pakistan reached 9,498 GWh in April 2026, down 10% YoY from April 2025. Back in April 2025,...

Published 20 May, 2026 12:15pm

Markets

Qatar Airways Group posts $1.9 billion full-year net profit

The group ‌carried ⁠more than 41.8 million passengers in the ⁠period, it said

Published 20 May, 2026 11:56am

Forex

South African rand steady before local inflation reading

the rand traded at 16.68 against the dollar , a whisker away from its previous close

Published 20 May, 2026 11:52am

Commodities

China's April imports of US soybeans more than double

A May 14-15 summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping left unchanged an existing soybean purchase commitment of 25 million metric tons

Published 20 May, 2026 11:41am

Markets

Thai industrial sentiment drops for second straight month in April

The federation said its industrial sentiment index fell to 85.3 in April from 88.6 in the previous month

Published 20 May, 2026 11:37am

Technology

OpenAI to open its first applied AI lab outside of US in Singapore

The move comes as Singapore bets on AI to transform its economy, aiming to become an AI hub that attracts leading AI firms

Published 20 May, 2026 11:35am

Stocks

Banks and miners drag Australian shares, investors eye inflation risks

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.6% to 8,554.20

Published 20 May, 2026 11:32am

Markets

China says it will buy 200 Boeing jets, seek extension of US tariff truce

The US will provide China with supply guarantees for aircraft engine parts and components under the Boeing deal, the ministry said

Published 20 May, 2026 11:30am

Forex

Aussie pinned near five-week lows as yield advantages narrow, stocks crumble

The Aussie slipped 0.1% to $0.7098, having dropped 0.9% overnight to a five-week low of $0.7080

Published 20 May, 2026 11:28am

Commodities

Copper falls to over 1-week low as strong dollar, higher bond yields weigh

The benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange dipped 0.28% to $13,374 a metric ton

Published 20 May, 2026 11:27am

Markets

Samsung Elec set to be hit by major strike on Thursday after talks with union collapse

South Korea’s government threatened at the weekend to step in and order emergency arbitration

Published 20 May, 2026 11:23am

Stocks

China, HK stocks track Asia lower on Mideast, inflation concerns

Hong Kong benchmark Hang Seng was down 0.6%

Published 20 May, 2026 11:22am

Mutual Funds

India bonds may fall as Treasury selloff threatens capital flows

The benchmark 6.48% 2035 bond yield may move in a 7.10%-7.15% range, a private bank trader said

Published 20 May, 2026 11:20am

Stocks

Japan's Nikkei falls to three-week low as investors dump AI stocks, SoftBank slides

The Nikkei was down 1.6% at 59,558.06, as of 0135 GMT, touching its weakest point since May 1

Published 20 May, 2026 10:47am

Forex

Yuan steady as safe-haven dollar demand caps gains

The spot yuan opened at 6.8140 per dollar and was trading at 6.8123

Published 20 May, 2026 10:43am

Forex

Thai baht/US dollar weaker on Wednesday

The baht was 0.12% lower at 32.73 versus the dollar, after trading in a range of 32.680 to 32.805

Published 20 May, 2026 10:40am

Mutual Funds

China plans to issue 3- and 5-year yuan denominated green bonds, term sheet shows

Nine investment banks have been mandated to work on the transaction, the term sheet said

Published 20 May, 2026 10:38am

Stocks

South Korean shares fall for second day on profit-taking

The benchmark KOSPI was down 144.22 points, or 1.98%, at 7,127.44

Published 20 May, 2026 10:36am

Business & Finance

Pakistan invites Kazakh investment in Gwadar, Karachi Port projects

Pakistan's Maritime Minister invited Kazakh investors to explore joint ventures at Pakistani ports, including Gwadar

Published 20 May, 2026 10:17am

Stocks

KSE-100 gains 1.2% as buying continues at PSX

Benchmark index settles at 164,831.42

Updated 20 May, 2026 06:13pm

Forex

Rising US yields on Fed rate hike bets pile pressure on sliding Indian rupee

The Indian rupee is expected to open in the 96.75-96.80 range, per traders, having settled at 96.5325 on Tuesday

Published 20 May, 2026 08:11am

Bullion Rate

Gold eases as higher yields, firm dollar offset US-Iran peace hopes

Spot gold was down 0.3% at $4,467.59 per ounce

Updated 20 May, 2026 11:55am

Stocks

Asian stocks fall for 4th day as higher yields bite, all eyes on Nvidia results

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.7% on Wednesday

Published 20 May, 2026 08:00am

Stocks

Indian shares seen lower as yields, oil rise on Trump's Iran threat

GIFT Nifty futures were at 23,417

Published 20 May, 2026 07:54am

Forex

Dollar at six-week high on rate-hike bets, Iran war uncertainty

The euro last bought $1.1608, ⁠having touched its lowest level since April 8 in the previous session

Published 20 May, 2026 07:52am

Energy

Oil prices slump 4.28% after Trump says US-Iran negotiations in 'final stages'

Brent crude futures fell $4.76, or 4.28%, to $106.52 a barrel

Updated 20 May, 2026 10:08pm

Business & Finance

Islamic banking assets to soar to Rs18-19trn by Dec

KARACHI: With increasing public demand for Shariah-compliant financial services and expanding market penetration...

Published 20 May, 2026 02:34am

Previous Day

BR100
BR30
KSE100
KSE30
KMI30

1D 5D 3M 6M 1Y

Forex
World
Commodity

Currency	Rate
USD PKR Interbank Selling / Jul 27	278.06
USD PKR Interbank Buying / Jul 27	277.86
USD to Japanese Yen / Jul 28	163.75
USD to Swiss Franc / Jul 28	0.82
Pound Sterling to USD / Jul 28	1.33
Euro to USD / Jul 28	1.14
SOFR % / Jul 27	3.64

Stock	Volume
S&P 500 / Jul 27	7,413.18
Nasdaq / Jul 27	24,932.08
Dow Jones / Jul 27	52,210.08
India Sensex / Jul 28	76,916.26
Tokyo Nikkei / Jul 28	62,078.15
Hang Seng / Jul 28	25,254.48
FTSE 100 / Jul 28	10,802
Germany DAX 30 / Jul 28	25,507.27
France CAC40 / Jul 28	8,432.64

Item	Value
Karachi Cotton PKR/37.32 KG / Jul 27	18,480
Gold 10 Grams PKR / Jul 27	370,144
Petrol/Litre / Jul 28	334.18
Crude Oil USD/Barrel / Jul 28	82.05
Gold Spot USD/Ounce / Jul 28	4,040.61
Diesel/Litre / Jul 28	386.83
Cotton US¢/pound / Jul 28	80.50

Gainers
Losers
Leaders

Stock	Price
Siddiqsons Tin / Jul 28 Siddiqsons Tin Plate Limited(STPL)	9.18 ▲ 1 (12.22%)
Gulistan Sp. / Jul 28 Gulistan Spinning Mills Limited(GUSM)	9.65 ▲ 1 (11.56%)
Khalid Siraj / Jul 28 Khalid Siraj Textile Mills Limited(KSTM)	14.80 ▲ 1.35 (10.04%)
Intermarket Securities / Jul 28 Intermarket Securities Limited(IMS)	26.79 ▲ 2.44 (10.02%)
Adamjee Ins. / Jul 28 Adamjee Insurance Company Limited(AICL)	90.56 ▲ 8.23 (10%)
Baba Farid Sugar / Jul 28 Baba Farid Sugar Mills Limited(BAFS)	546.95 ▲ 49.72 (10%)
First Tri-Star Mod. / Jul 28 First Tri-Star Modaraba(FTSM)	37.96 ▲ 3.45 (10%)
Khairpur Sug. / Jul 28 Khairpur Sugar Mills Limited(KPUS)	1,337.15 ▲ 121.56 (10%)
National Silk / Jul 28 The National Silk & Rayon Mills Limited(NSRM)	304.10 ▲ 27.65 (10%)
Ellcot Spinning / Jul 28 Ellcot Spinning Mills Limited(ELSM)	146.72 ▲ 13.34 (10%)

Stock	Price
Maqbool Textile / Jul 28 Maqbool Textile Mills Limited(MQTM)	32.37 ▼ -3.6 (-10.01%)
Olympia Mills / Jul 28 Olympia Mills Limited(OML)	140.34 ▼ -15.59 (-10%)
TPL Insurance / Jul 28 TPL Insurance Limited(TPLI)	72.29 ▼ -8.03 (-10%)
Azgard Nine (Non-Voti) / Jul 28 Azgard Nine (Non-Voti)(ANLNV)	7.21 ▼ -0.8 (-9.99%)
Pakistan Credit Rating Agency / Jul 28 The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Ltd(GEMPACRA)	32.52 ▼ -3.5 (-9.72%)
Trust Sec.& Brok. / Jul 28 Trust Securities & Brokerage Limited(TSBL)	2.35 ▼ -0.25 (-9.62%)
Nets Internat.Comm. / Jul 28 Nets International Communication Limited(GEMNETS)	23.50 ▼ -2.5 (-9.62%)
Shahzad Tex. / Jul 28 Shahzad Textile Mills Limited(SZTM)	88 ▼ -8.89 (-9.18%)
Asia Ins. / Jul 28 Asia Insurance Company Limited(ASIC)	44.95 ▼ -4.51 (-9.12%)
First IBL Mod. / Jul 28 First IBL Modaraba(FIBLM)	15.36 ▼ -1.31 (-7.86%)

Stock	Volume
Cnergyico PK / Jul 28 Cnergyico PK Limited(CNERGY)	257,999,346 ▲ 0.15
WorldCall Telecom / Jul 28 Worldcall Telecom Limited(WTL)	63,472,934 ▼ -0.03
Trust Sec.& Brok. / Jul 28 Trust Securities & Brokerage Limited(TSBL)	49,961,976 ▼ -0.25
Pak Refinery / Jul 28 Pakistan Refinery Limited(PRL)	35,752,772 ▲ 3.48
Maple Leaf Cement / Jul 28 Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited(MLCF)	22,679,293 ▲ 0.09
Ghani Chem. Ind. / Jul 28 Ghani Chemical Industries Limited(GCIL)	21,416,335 ▲ 1.2
TPL Corp Ltd / Jul 28 TPL Corp Limited(TPL)	19,863,087 ▲ 0.2
Siddiqsons Tin / Jul 28 Siddiqsons Tin Plate Limited(STPL)	18,124,932 ▲ 1
Intermarket Securities / Jul 28 Intermarket Securities Limited(IMS)	14,661,827 ▲ 2.44
K-Electric Ltd. / Jul 28 K-Electric Limited(KEL)	12,926,537 ▼ -0.08

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