• The Nasdaq remained about 5pc below its Feb. 12 record high close, still smarting as higher U.S. bond yields hurt technology stocks.

• Exports in March totaled $24.5bn and imports were $23.0bn, the ministry said, adding that total trade flows of $47.5bn in the month were up almost 40% from a year earlier.

• The government says the real case numbers are likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently by the health ministry suggested the actual death toll from coronavirus may be at least 60pc above the confirmed figure.

• White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the meeting would be hosted by Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top economic aide, Brian Deese.

• The Canadian dollar was trading 0.1pc higher at 1.2547 to the greenback, or 79.70 U.S. cents.

• He said they had destroyed national institutions and they were still working on the same mission.

• During the week ending March 26, SBP received US$ 498.7 million from International Monetary Fund (IMF) under Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program.

• He expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and complimented the Health department, as well as the administration, for their work.

• Speaker Asad Qaiser said constructive engagement between parliamentarians and political leadership of both the countries had brought each other more closer.

• “Therefore, there is a need to control FMD through vaccination by establishing an FMD vaccine manufacturing plant in the Sindh,” he said.

• The SAPM said 15 per cent death ratio was registered of those who were more than 80 years old.

• The minister said the government of Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) stood by its pledge to transfer powers to the Parliamentarians and people of Punjab.

• Weekly jobless claims increase 61,000 to 719,000.
• Planned layoffs fall 11% to 30,603 in March.
• Manufacturing activity accelerates in March.

• The need for increased personal safety during the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted sales for automakers, as people prefer to travel by their own cars to using public transportation.
• The No.1 US automaker said it estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual sales pace for the first quarter of the year was around 16.7 million units.

• The Swede returned to his former club in January 2020 aged 38 and sparked a turnaround in form for the seven-time European champions, who have not won Serie A since 2011.
• "Everyone knows him, his mentality - he's a winner," Bennacer told Reuters. "Maybe we didn't have this experience that he brought with him. It's good for us young players because we improved in this. Now we want to win like he wants to win.

• The move could give the fledgling US electric vehicle industry a big boost by granting it fresh incentives and a new revenue stream. But the idea would introduce new actors like Tesla Inc into a program that has already bitterly divided the oil and corn industries.
• Electricity from biogas is already technically eligible for generating RINs under the RFS, but the EPA has never approved applications to do so because the agency hasn't yet figured out the logistical issues.

• The figures from the Federal Statistics Service Rosstat were marginally better than Rosstat's preliminary estimate that gross domestic product fell by 3.1% last year.
• The coronavirus outbreak paralysed business activity in 2020, prompting the central bank to slash interest rates to a record low 4.25%, while a drop in global oil prices dented Russia's revenues.

• "Last week, I made an urgent request to countries, with doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have WHO Emergency Use Listing, to share 10 million doses immediately with COVAX," he said.
• I requested manufacturers to help ensure that the countries that step up can rapidly donate those doses.

• The sector brought in $6.72 billion in the first quarter, CIARA-CEC said in a statement. March revenue marked a 53.22% increase over February, it said.
• Some 7.9% of this season's corn has been brought in so far, while recent rain storms have held back soy harvesting to about 1% of planted area, the exchange said in a report on Wednesday.

• Mexican peso trades at 2-week high.
• Brazil detects new virus variant.
• Most Latam stock markets closed on Thurs.

• Dollar supported by vaccine rollout, growth prospects.
• Euro zone factory activity jumps.
• French lockdown weighs on euro.
• Yen at 1-year low vs dollar.

• The energy sector climbed 1.3% as crude prices climbed on optimism about U.S and European economic recoveries and hopes that OPEC and its allies will keep production curbs in place.
• The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, added 1.1% as gold futures rose 0.4% to $1,721 an ounce.

• Weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise.
• Micron jumps after upbeat revenue forecast.
• J&J shares slip on problem with COVID-19 vaccine batch.
• Indexes up: Dow 0.17%, S&P 0.84%, Nasdaq 1.71%.

• Industrials stocks biggest gainers on FTSE 100.
• Quilter rises on sale of int'l business to Utmost Group.
• FTSE 100 up 0.4%, FTSE 250 adds 1%.

• OPEC+ reaches preliminary deal to raise output from May –sources.
• OPEC+ still has deep production cuts in place.
• New pandemic waves creates uncertain demand outlook.
• Euro zone factory activity soared in March.

• In a readout of their telephone call, the Kremlin said the Saudi prince outlined initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the Middle East.
• Putin spoke of Russian efforts to protect the environment, the Kremlin said.

• China premiums little changed at $7-$10/oz.
• India premiums ease to $4 versus $5 last week.

• He said that the golf club had 507 kanals land out of the total 962 kanals.

• "The production of our core product is much more complicated (than vaccine)," Mabion board member Adam Pietruszkiewicz told.
• "We still have to buy some equipment intended solely for the production of vaccines. However, our main machine park is ready. After completing this process, we should enter the commercial production phase at the beginning of the second half of the year," Pietruszkiewicz said.

• Election Commission lawyer presented the investigation report in court.

• The CPEC would generate abundant employment and investment opportunities in Pakistan and beyond, he added.

• Last week Chancellor Angela Merkel accused state premiers of failing to stick to earlier agreements to reimpose restrictions if infections rose again as the lockdown was gradually relaxed.
• The DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine said Germany urgently needs a two-week lockdown, faster vaccinations and compulsory tests at schools.

• He said that the people of the constituency would decide the Daska election.

• The total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at US $20,836.4 million.

• The company, which filed its prospectus under the listing vehicle's name of Smart Share Global, sold 17.65 million shares at $8.50 each to raise about $150 million.
• The firm's shares will start trading on the Nasdaq later on Thursday.

• The court also issued notices to all four Provincial Advocate Generals.

• Futures retreat after rising on Wednesday on spillover support from surging corn and soybean prices.
• The USDA, in a report on Wednesday, estimated larger-than-expected US wheat plantings.

• He said that peace in Afghanistan would bring prosperity in Afghanistan and the region.

• Haleem said that an honourable judge suspended two assembly members but the Sindh government is still apathetic.

• May raw sugar rose 0.7% to 14.88 cents per lb.
• "We forecast the global market in an 8.5 million tonne surplus in both 2020/21 and in 2021/22. In 2021/22, production will recover in the EU, Thailand and Russia among others," said Fitch Solutions.

• The court accepted the bail against surety bonds worth Rs 0.5 million each in two cases till April 15.

• February's 0.7% fall in industrial output was significantly weaker than the median estimate in a Reuters poll of economists for a 0.4% rise. The following chart shows that several months of slowing growth have finally turned into outright decline.
• Statistics agency IBGE said the year-on-year rise was 0.4%, also well below the Reuters poll forecast of 1.5% growth.

• The price of per tola and ten gram silver remained constant.

• As many as 391 companies’ transacted shares in the stock market, 102 of them recorded gain and 278 sustained losses.

• MSCI AxJ index up 0.7%; dollar gains on risky currencies.
• Biden plans broad spending programme.
• US bond yields turn steady in calmer trade.

• The IHC had ordered to deport the international drug dealer and expressed annoyance over preparation of fake Pakistani documents.

• J&J said in a statement that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) had "granted registration with conditions" for its single-dose vaccine.
• SAHPRA's spokesman confirmed that J&J's vaccine had been registered when called by Reuters. He said more details would follow in a statement.

• He said that despite limited resources to raise the standard of education and promote the learning environment which is positive measures for the students.

• The chief minister urged people of the province to follow SOPs.

• Investors in frozen funds to get more cash this month.
• Swiss bank aims to recover most of funds' assets.
• Shares rebound of slide on risk-management worries.

• She then described the second point that when the pandemic struck, more than 24 million breadwinners risked becoming food insecure.

• Amin said the project proposals were sought from all the federating units under Green Stimulus package and were received which would be implemented within next six months on ground.

• Gas firms' report shows 14% of plans for 2030 carried out.
• Indigenous reserves fall, imports to rise.
• Eugal pipeline fully constructed, feeder for Nord Stream 2.

• The court summoned PARC chairman and adjourned hearing till two weeks.

• The new administration of US President Joe Biden is already making payments to households under a new $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package and plans to plough $2.3 trillion into infrastructure investments to fire up the world's biggest economy.
• "The best response to US ambition isn't to fight it. It is to match it. Europe needs to challenge itself like America does," he added.

• He said that the businesses were already in trouble due to Covid-19 pandemic, while the third wave of coronavirus has created new problems.

• Germany has promised to abandon coal by 2038 and achieve a mostly carbon-free energy system by 2050, but it is also trying to lessen the impact on utilities, regions, employment and the public budget.
• The regulator sets a maximum price per MW of capacity to cap the public sector bill. The ultimate price takes into account bidders' offers and the CO2 emissions of the plants in question.

• Issues of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation were discussed at the meeting.

• The company also said board member Jesse Cohn, who is also hedge fund Elliott Management's head of US equity activism, will be nominated for re-election as a class II director.

• He said that it is a good sign that the government quickly realized the public sentiments and reaction over the yesterday’s decision.

• Ramos was an 86th minute substitute in Spain's 3-1 win over Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday and said he picked up the injury in the post-game warm down.
• The problem puts his participation in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Liverpool and the Clasico with visitors Barcelona on April 10 in serious doubt.

• He added that the efforts would be made to run the constitutional matters with mutual understanding.

• Executive Chairman William Clay Ford earned $16 million in total compensation last year, compared with $16.8 million in 2019, the carmaker said.

• Exporters act to ditch 'Made in Turkey' tags.
• Unofficial boycott began last year on political grounds.
• Turkish-Saudi tensions worsen since 2018 Khashoggi murder.
• Ankara raised boycott issue at WTO meeting this week.

• He said that Maryam Nawaz wants to go abroad and we will not let her go until she did not return the looted money to nation.

• He informed that number of suspected patients in the district raised to 28,170 while screening of as many as 31,422 persons was carried out across the district.

• The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week gave Facebook and Giphy five working days to offer proposals to address its concerns over their merger deal.
• "We will continue to fully cooperate with the CMA's investigation," a Facebook spokesman said in an emailed statement.

• The court adjourned hearing of the case till April 6.

• Saudi Arabia's crown prince said oil firm Aramco and petrochemical firm SABIC would lead 5 trillion riyals ($1.33 trillion) of investments by the local private sector by 2030 under a programme announced on Tuesday for economic diversification.
• The kingdom's benchmark index eased 0.1%, hit by a 1.5% fall in oil giant Saudi Aramco and 2% slide in Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

• Banks would ensure that the confidentiality of the customers’ data is sufficiently protected through appropriate oversight and security clauses in the contract.

• The IHS Markit Canada Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 58.5 in March from 54.8 in February, posting the highest reading in the 10-year history of the survey. A reading above 50 shows growth in the sector.
• The new orders index rose to 58.0, its highest since November 2013, from 54.4 in February, while the measure of output was at 57.7, up from 52.0.

• He said that 1,266 tests for coronavirus were conducted in the public and private sectors labs during the same period.

• He said that safety of people from coronavirus pandemic and ensuring their employment was the first priority of the government.

• Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 82.13 points, or 0.44%, at 18,782.8.

• The health officer told that 274 confirmed cases were reported during the last 24 hours including 262 of Rawalpindi and 12 from outside the district.

• "I'm afraid you can see what's happening in France... It's very sad actually - it's very very sad," Johnson said. "When they get it in France and they get it bad, two or three weeks later it comes to us.

• The purpose of the scheme is the promotion of small and medium entrepreneurship and cottage industry in the newly merged districts.

• Razak Dawood shared vision of the government on trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARS) as well.

• Buzdar inspected corona vaccination centre at LDA Sports Complex and appreciated the steps taken by the Health Department.

• The meeting was told that an NGO AIM was advancing interest free loans to poor people so that they could start their small businesses.

• Banks are required to comply with SBP instructions by June 30, 2021.

• Consequently, the illegal award of contracts and sheer violation of procurement rules caused millions of rupee loss to the national exchequer, according to the reference.

• Governor vowed that the federal government would keep supporting the civic bodies of the city through all possible resources.

• “The ambitious PAI primarily aims to enhance the country’s protected areas cover from 13 per cent to 15 per cent by 2023 and create 5,000 green jobs across the country,” Aslam elaborated.

• The court adjourned further hearing of the petition till April 12.

• The move comes after the United States halted work at two consulates in Russia last year, citing safety and security issues at the facilities where operations had been curtailed over COVID-19.
• US-Russia ties have been strained by issues ranging from conflicts in Ukraine to Syria, as well as allegations of Russian interference in US politics, which Moscow denies.

• During the hearing, a NAB prosecutor stated before the court that the NAB is conducting inquiries against Khuhro, he might not fly back home after travelling abroad.

• Dust raising winds/gusty winds are likely during the period.

• The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in favor of BP Plc, Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips , Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc , rejecting the city's efforts to sue under state law for trespass and creating a nuisance.

• 605,274 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

• Suu Kyi's lawyer says new charge filed.
• Junta orders wireless internet suspended - providers say.
• At least 538 civilians killed since coup - activist group.

• He said there is no space for such culprits in the country as the Prime Minister is committed to eliminate such practices with iron hands.

• The Chief Minister appreciated the service of paramedical staff and doctors during the Covid-19 situation.

• The Speaker said restoring confidence in the electoral process for the future is a shared responsibility of the opposition and waiting for their response.

• The bank also has agreed with its workers council to reduce headcount by 1,700 people by the end of this year as part of its previously announced overhaul.

• He said that the work on the Public Sector Enterprises included in the active privatization list should be completed on priority basis.

• President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
• The French central bank said last month that the euro zone's second-biggest economy was set to grow 5.5% this year.

• Total 50,055 tests for the disease were conducting during the same period.

• He said the government under vision of Prime Minister has taken solid steps to cope with this challenge.

• The initial 2020/21 target of 1.425 trillion rand was set by the National Treasury before the coronavirus pandemic struck in March last year.
• Treasury revised the estimate down to 1.112 trillion rand in October, but then upped it to 1.212 trillion in the February 2021 budget.

• He said Punjab government has made effective legislation to ensure payment to sugarcane growers and crushing in mills well in time.

• He said for the 9-month period of July-March of the current Financial Year, our exports increased by 7 percent.

• The meeting will review ordinances related to finance according to the constitution and rules of business of the National Assembly.

• Portugal's tourism-dependent economy shrank 7.6% in 2020 in its worst contraction since the 1930s. Moody's pointed to expectations of 3.7% and 4% growth in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
• Moody's said banks' capital position was expected to hold steady, suffering "little change" over the outlook period and lenders would, for the most part, be able to avoid losses that could hurt capital.

• She said the politics of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had buried and ended now.

• US energy secretary, Saudi energy minister hold call.
• Biden team had till now avoided Trump's approach to OPEC+.
• Saudi opens talks with call for 'cautious stance'.

• The Punjab health department conducted 3,838,133 tests for COVID-19 so far while 189,856 confirmed cases recovered altogether in the province.

• "It should be a quiet Easter, with those closest to you, with very reduced contact. I urge you to refrain from all non-essential travel," Merkel said in a video message, adding this was the only way to help the doctors and nurses fighting the virus.

• He said 13 patients from Peshawar district, 3 from Mardan, 2 from Bajaur, one each from Abbottabad, Kohat and Swabi have died from corona in the last 24 hours.

• He said Pakistan wanted to be a part or contributing for solution of the issue as UNEP considered the country as a host for World Environment Day 2021.

• Weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise.
• Micron jumps after upbeat revenue forecast.
• J&J shares slip on problem with COVID-19 vaccine batch.
• Indexes up: Dow 0.19%, S&P 0.70%, Nasdaq 1.51%.

• Pakistan imported plastic worth $1541.697 million during July-February (2020-21) as compared to the imports of $1326.048 million during July-February (2019-20).

• Buying and selling rates of dollar were recorded at Rs152.4 and Rs153.4 respectively.

• OPEC+ considers whether to rollover or hike output.
• OPEC+ still has deep production cuts in place.
• New pandemic waves creates uncertain demand outlook.
• Euro zone factory activity soared in March.

• He said that those children who left without polio drops would be covered in the next two days of the drive.

• Canadian dollar weakens 0.1% against the greenback.
• Canadian factory activity expands at a record pace in March.
• Price of US oil rises 2.4%.
• Canadian bond yields ease across a flatter curve.

• The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Thursday its index of national factory activity jumped to a reading of 64.7 last month from 60.8 in February. That was the highest level since December 1983.
• President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled a plan to spend roughly $2 trillion on infrastructure like roads and bridges over 10 years.

• Of those, only 49 countries are eligible for debt relief measures adopted by the Group of 20 major economies, UNDP Administrator Achim Stein told reporters, calling on G20 members to quickly expand a moratorium on debt service payments and a common framework for debt treatments beyond the poorest nations.

• He expressed these views during a meeting with delegations of various union councils of Shangla district at his office.

• During the last 24 hours most of the deaths had occurred in the Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

• He regretted that the sugar mafia had made the people hostage so it was mandatory to take action against them.

• The scheme target is to extend support to around 3500 businesses and benefit more than 10,500 families.

• He said incumbent government had always thought for betterment of the employees but the current approach adopted by them was very inappropriate.

• The AJK president said that in developing countries, minority rights have to be protected irrespective of their numbers.

• The Governor asked the SIDCL to complete all ongoing projects within stipulated time.

• NAB Balochistan after completing investigation into the scam filed a reference against three government officers and contractors namely Zahidullah, Abdul Haq and Abdul Ghafoor.

• After listening arguments, the court reserved the decision on maintainability of the case.

• He directed the officers concerned to use all resources to make the campaign a success.

• Once the ministry submit its comments, it would be sent to the federal cabinet to take a decision on it.

• Qureshi said the cabinet also deliberated over an impression that the relationship between Pakistan and India had normalized and the bilateral trade had been resumed.

• "The Myanmar military has sunk to a new low with the wanton killing of innocent people, including children," Raab said.
• At least 538 civilians have been killed in the protests, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

• The shot was also 100% effective in preventing illness among trial participants in South Africa, where a new variant called B1351 is dominant, though the number of those participants was relatively small at 800.
• While the new overall efficacy rate of 91.3% is lower than the 95% originally reported in November for its 44,000-person trial, a number of variants have become more prevalent around the world since then.

• Last year the family-owned company recorded sales worth 2.085 billion euros as its retail business only partly compensated for a drop in out-of-home coffee consumption.
• Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) came in at 253 million euros in 2020, down 13% on 2019.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was "not happy" with the company's initial response and has asked it to act immediately, said the source, who declined to be named as the discussion with the company was private.

• "Shell informed us that it has no intention to leave the country and to sell its assets," the ministry's energy director Rached Ben Dali said at a news conference alongside Marzouki.

• It is a rarity in these days of tactical complexities to see a team line-up with a genuine strike duo, but Leicester have bucked the trend of late, with Iheanacho emerging as possibly the key component in their run-in.
• The 34-year-old Vardy, last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner, has managed one league goal this year.

• The tender, which sought an unspecified number of cargoes each month on a delivered basis, closes on April 6, they said.
• Sinopec was one of Asia's top buyers of spot LNG last year.

• Euro-sterling's downward trajectory stalled somewhat on Thursday after it came close to, but did not breach, the key 0.85 level in the previous session.
• Versus the euro, it was down around 0.1% at 85.2 pence per euro.

• Vinci had made a non-binding offer to buy ACS's industrial unit including its energy business for 5.2 billion euros in October.
• With the deal, Vinci aims to bolster its energy contracting business and develop renewables projects, it said.

• Once praised by the World Health Organization for its decision to procure vaccines through the global scheme, South Korea is now facing criticism at home as the government scrambles to meet the supply shortfall.
• South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are among countries to be hit by shipment delays to vaccines they have been promised following export curbs by manufacturer India.

• "I don't want to say that the government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it but I think people need to read and to consider," Johnson said.
• "There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address, we've got, we've got to do more to fix it and we need to understand the severity of the problem," he said.

• The holdings have eased from a record high of $236.11 billion in January. When adjusted with the parity effect, the data showed the hard currency holdings dropped by $8.13 billion in the week to March 26.
• The lira briefly fell 15% to near its all-time low in a dramatic selloff after President Tayyip Erdogan sacked the hawkish former Central Bank Governor Naci Agbal.

• India decided to delay big exports of the shots made in its territory by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to make sure it could meet local demand, two sources told Reuters last week.
• The African Union had planned to vaccinate 20%-30% of the continent's population by the end of the year he said. "If the vaccines are delayed we are unlikely to meet our target," he added.

• Around 45% of the European Union's output of greenhouse gases is regulated by the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc's flagship policy to tackle global warming by charging for the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2).
• Emissions from power and heating generation fell by 17.1%, to 632.8 million tonnes, the analysts said on Thursday.

• The vote was to take place later in the day, after Rutte appeared in parliament to explain why he had told reporters he had not discussed a political appointment for one lawmaker, but it later emerged he had.

• Last week Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda picked central bank board member Simkus for the job, pending parliamentary approval. Vitas Vasiliaskas's second term in the jub ends on April 7.

• Two sources said that a senior bank official added on the call there would be no premature interest rate cuts, and that inflation was close to the upper bound of its forecasts.
• President Tayyip Erdogan fired former governor Naci Agbal on March 20 in a shock move that sent the lira down 13% as investors predicted a quick pivot to loose policy, given Kavcioglu's past criticism of Agbal's tight stance.

• "We were surprised, and very pleased," Moss told reporters at a briefing about the findings. "But, of course, this does go with the excellent clinical protection that we're seeing with the vaccine - so it does correlate."
• Pfizer and its co-developer BioNTech said earlier on Thursday that updated clinical trial data showed their vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing COVID-19 cases.

• The European Union will target eight Iranian militia and police commanders and three state entities with sanctions next week over a deadly crackdown in November 2019 by Iranian authorities
• Iran has repeatedly rejected accusations by the West of human rights abuses.

• The joint venture, set up in December 2019, encompasses the food delivery app Delivery Club, ride-hailing service Citymobil and other assets, with each partner holding a 45% stake.
• According to Sberbank's accounts, the venture reported a loss of 27.8 billion roubles ($366.37 million) in 2020.

• The investment partnership will focus on digital innovations that can transform the energy and sustainable industry sectors, and the two companies will pool knowledge on climate investments.
• Geneviève Bouthillier, a managing director at CDPQ, told Reuters the partnership would be a "jump start" and enable the pension fund to benefit from Energize's expertise.

• The total number of deaths in Europe "is fast approaching one million and the total number of cases about to surpass 45 million," it said.

• In an effort to cool local demand and prices, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the imports.

• Corn stocks are likely to rise 51% to 2.4 million tonnes, with high reserves putting pressure on domestic grain prices in the medium term, APK-Inform said in a report.
• The grain stocks will also include 1.5 million tonnes of wheat and 1 million tonnes of barley.

• The commission has held the bureaucracy responsible for delaying payments to the firm hired for finding assets of political leaders abroad that led to a US$9 million fine
• The report states that the bureaucracy tried its best to hide the record while various ministries and institutions did not cooperate with the commission during the probe

• The central bank has already raised its economic growth projection from earlier forecasts based on a predicted cereals harvest of 9.5 million tonnes, well up from 3.2 million tonnes last year.
• "Cereals output is expected to exceed 10 million tonnes this season, which means less imports," he said.

• Soft wheat exports to destinations outside the EU-27 and Britain totalled 937,700 tonnes in March, the ninth month of the 2020/21 season, an initial estimate based on Refinitiv loading data showed.
• Morocco was the leading destination, accounting for 348,400 tonnes, nearly three times the volume shipped there in February.

• OPEC+ deliberates about rollover or hike, sources say.
• OPEC+ meeting is scheduled to start at 1300 GMT.
• Euro zone factory activity soared in March.

• London, Paris and Frankfurt all rose in early trade.

*The median forecast of more than 30 strategists was for the Canadian dollar to rise a further 0.6% over the next three months to 1.25 per US dollar, or 80 US cents. * "We expect the Canadian dollar to be a general outperformer among the G10 over the coming year," said Erik Nelson, a currency strategist at Wells Fargo in New York.

• It has offered inoculations to all residents 16 and above, the group currently approved to get the vaccine.

• Authorities currently offer China's Sinovac and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

• There are concerns about China deleveraging; that seems to be uppermost in a lot of people's minds. How much more tightening is there to come? And the Chinese economy seems to be slowing anyway.
• Copper inventories are rising on the LME and it seems that demand for the time being has come off the boil, which is a bit concerning because we're going into the seasonally strong part of the year.

• Doctors have long complained of a lack of beds and drugs in hospitals as well as inadequate protective kits.

• Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 109.10/30 per dollar, compared with last Thursday's close of 109.65/109.85.
• On Thursday, commercial banks quoted the currency of Africa's second largest copper producer at 22.0750 per dollar, slightly down from 22.0231 at the close of business a week ago.

• President Zuzana Caputova told the new ministers: "It is your responsibility to restore the trust of citizens".

• Dollar eases off from 5-month high.
• Biden unveils $2 trillion-plus job plan.
• Climb above $1,720/oz positive for bullion – analyst.

• The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February.
• Death toll from the violence has risen past 500 as the junta struggles to quash dissent.

• This is ahead of holidays -- the zloty was underperforming earlier, now it's outperforming... it seems like the main reason is probably the market was long, squaring positions ahead of the Easter holidays.
• The zloty was 0.17% firmer against the euro at 4.624. The Czech crown was 0.12% firmer at 26.08 and the Hungarian forint was little changed at 362.10.

• The rouble was 0.7% weaker against the dollar at 76.18, a whisker away from a one-week low and heading further from the more than one-week high of 75.22 hit in the previous session.
• It had lost 0.8% to trade at 89.46 versus the euro .

• The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index closed 1.2% higher at 14,867.35, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex gained 1.1% to 50,029.83.
• "Commodity prices have gone up, so metals are doing well, said Samrat Dasgupta, chief executive of Esquire Capital Investment Advisors in Mumbai.

• The WHO's European region comprises 53 countries and territories and includes Russia and several Central Asian nations.

• Those working in the Hajj and Umrah sectors are required to get vaccinated before the start of Ramadan, which will be on April 12
• Saudi authorities increased inspection campaigns to ensure adherence to remaining measures such as restricting the number of gatherings in social events to 20 people only

• Mitsotakis will travel to Tripoli on Tuesday "to normalise and restore relations", Greek government spokeswoman said.

• As per Searle, the license agreement also covers the manufacturing transition of the V-01 vaccine in Pakistan.

• At least 128,851,200 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

• WHO has said that the AstraZeneca shot is safe.

• Sputnik V has been privately imported and is being sold for around $70 (59 euros) for two doses to wealthy Kenyans.

• The Black Caps made 141 for four after losing the toss and being asked to bat, with Finn Allen hitting 71 from 29 balls.

• Helmand provincial council head told AFP that the helicopter was carrying security personnel from a meeting in the province.

• Oil prices rallied with the OPEC+ alliance expected to agree an extension to their current output cuts at a meeting later in the day.

• After seizing power in February from a civilian government, Myanmar's military has regained control of state companies.

• California governor Gavin Newsom posted on Twitter: "Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight."

• He was knighted for his services to business management.

• Biden contended that the corporate tax hike was "not about penalizing anyone. I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires."

• In addition, Saudi Arabia has volunteered to cut its own output by one million barrels per day (bpd) to help avoid oversupplying a market suffering from a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• Osaka hadn't dropped a set at love since her last defeat, which came in February 2020 in a Fed Cup match.

• "There have been attempts by some to... disrupt relations" between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, he added, without elaborating.

• Australia has been relatively successful in curbing the spread of coronavirus, with only one nationwide lockdown during the pandemic so far and most regions now enjoying few restrictions.

• "The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios," Kipman said in a blog post.

• In Australia, matches will be staged in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

• "Somalia's electoral process is at a critical stage," Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, told reporters.

• Suu Kyi, 75, has not been seen in public since she was deposed but a member of her legal team, Min Min Soe, was summoned to a police station in the capital Naypyidaw for a video meeting with her.

• "It's a once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago."

• The J&J vaccine has won praise for its single dosage and because it does not need to be frozen -- unlike the shots from Moderna and Pfizer -- making distribution much simpler.

• The country also recorded 304 new deaths, bring its total toll to 95,667.

• The 24-hour death toll reported by the health ministry Wednesday also set a new record: 3,869.

• Regional bloc the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held emergency talks in Harare to discuss the violence.

• Floyd says repeatedly that he can't breathe. "Mama, I love you," he says. "My stomach hurts, my neck hurts."

• "Lives and properties of the people of Myanmar and foreign nationals and businesses should be protected, and any attack on them is unacceptable."

• Mthethwa gave the council until April 6 to reach an agreement with an interim board, which is charged with establishing a new structure.

• He is openly nostalgic for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, despite its rights violations, including the kidnapping and torture of dissidents.

• Adviser says the government will not give NRO to anyone at any cost
• The government took various actions following the inquiry commission's report on the sugar scandal and made the report public despite the involvement of our own members

• After the rejection of the summary by the cabinet, the Prime Minister directed the concerned authorities to intensify efforts to import sugar and cotton from other countries at reasonable prices.

• CanSinoBIO’s chief scientific officer says a second shot given to trial participants six months after their first injection could offer substantial protection against the virus
• Tao says accurate and precise results could only be gathered after more clinical trials

• The suppliers hope their united front will prevent retailers from playing them off against each other in search of more lenient terms after suffering from widespread cancellations and payment delays at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

• "Received 5 lakh 60 thousand procured vaccines yesterday. Another 5 lakhs will arrive tonight," Asad Umar tweeted.
• At least 452000 shots of Sinopharm and CanSino vaccine have been provided to Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is facing calls from the United States and Britain to commit India to a net zero emissions target by 2050
• Kerry will also visit the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh, which experts say is especially vulnerable to climate change

• People above 50 can now get themselves registered at 1166 to receive the code for vaccination
• The government initiated the registration of senior citizens for the vaccination program on February 15

• “This is also the first time since 2011 that exports have crossed the $ 2 billion mark for six consecutive months,” said Dawood.

• On March 11, PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan had ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban the app for promoting immoral, objectionable content.

• The vaccine jabs were transported in the cold-chain containers via road and by air
• At least 452000 shots of Sinopharm and CanSino vaccine have been provided to Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan

• Australia and Japan had already approved the return of the 737 MAX and New Zealand on a case by case basis, but those countries do not have locally-based operators.

• The reported death toll rose by 201 to 76,543, the tally showed.

• The prime minister was of the view that the growth is clear signs of the broad-based economic recovery that has resulted from government policies.

• TSMC, like other technology firms, has benefited from the work-and-study-from-home trend during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people rushed to buy laptops, tablets and other equipment.

• The United States is the world's biggest corn exporter and the No. 2 soybean supplier.

• A Reuters poll had expected a 1.40% print.

• Marubeni collects data from the ports of Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka.

• The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.6% to 14,772 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex gained 0.9% to 49,821, by 0417 GMT.

• The country reported 459 deaths, taking the total to 162,927, the data showed.

• Surveys showing Asia's factories stepped up production in March also supported sentiment.

• Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.78% while Japan's Nikkei index was up 0.64%.

• The government has also vowed to boost residential land supply to contain fast-rising home prices.

• But Turkey's main opposition party has ramped up pressure for a tit-for-tat response and compensation for export losses. "If you put a ban on my goods, I will put a ban on yours," lawmaker Mahmut Tanal said in an interview.

• India's power generation fell 0.2% during the year 2020/21 compared with the previous year, the data showed.

• Sinner had to be focused against Bublik, who has already reached two finals this season.

• Even after two doses, they found that a small subset of patients failed to mount an antibody response.

• A projection analysis reveals a possible ending point of the correction in the support zone of $14.17-3/4 to $14.33-1/2.

• It did not specify what form of financial support it plans to offer Hyundai.

• Meanwhile, Dalian's most-active soyoil contract rose 2.9 % and its palm oil contract climbed 2.7%.

• The city has already banned public events, closed cafes and restaurants in an attempt to stop a new wave of disease.

• “It’s good to celebrate but equally concern to maintain the competitiveness. I’m on for gradual changes than abrupt,” Aslam added in his tweet post.

• Some analysts also warned that lockdowns in Europe and supply constraints, such as chip shortages that are disrupting automobile production, could weigh on factory activity in countries like Taiwan and South Korea.

• Moving closer to international standards by excluding coal from the green market would widen the potential foreign investor base, Chow of DBS said.

• OPEC+ has lowered its 2021 oil demand growth forecast by 300,000 barrels per day.

Australian shares settled higher on Thursday, wrapping up the holiday-shortened week on a firm note as investor...

• The PPP leader stated that he wanted to travel abroad to meet his family
• NAB prosecutor says the bureau is conducting inquiries against Khuhro and it is feared that he might not fly back home after traveling abroad

• Given that the support at $57.88 held firm on March 23 under a strong attack by bears, it may hold again and trigger a bounce this time.

• This bullish candlestick followed another one on March 29. Together, they are considered as a trend reversal signal.

• Resistance is at $63.98, a break above which may lead to a gain into $64.51-$65.83 range.

• A downtrend from $1.875.26, which rides on a wave C, remains steady.

• US government bond yields rose on Wednesday after the US President unveiled the infrastructure endeavor.

• The global dollar index was at 93.231 on Thursday after touching a five-month high of 93.439 a day earlier.

• In Mexico, the peso is likely to appreciate 1% in one year to 20.32 per US dollar. However, the 12-month outlook for the currency also worsened significantly from March's poll, as investors remain nervous.

• A survey by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Thursday is expected to show a further improvement in the manufacturing activity.

• The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note jumped to a one-year high of 1.776% on Tuesday.

• Technology shares led the S&P 500 to a record high, with investors awaiting details on US President Joe Biden's massive infrastructure plan.

• The euro was at A$1.5461, against $1.6000 at the start of the year.

• Wealth manager AMP was a bright spot on the index, rising nearly 5.5% to the top of ASX200, after it named deputy chief of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Alexis George as its new group chief executive officer.