KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee continued to post marginal gains against the US dollar, appreciating 0.03% or Re0.07 in the inter-bank market during the previous week.
The local unit closed at 279.10, against 279.17 it had closed the week earlier against the greenback, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Pakistan’s headline inflation clocked in at 7.3% on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in March 2026, a reading lower than the Ministry of Finance’s estimate of 7.5-8.5%.
Trade deficit significantly increased by 22.65% to $27.81 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (9MFY26), as compared to the same period of the previous year.
Foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP rose by $6 million to $16.38 billion during the week ended March 27.
Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks were recorded at $5.41 billion, bringing the country’s total reserves to $21.79 billion.
Open-market rates
In the open market, the PKR gained 23 paise for buying and 5 paise for selling against USD, closing at 279.23 and 280.18, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR gained 22 paise for buying and 29 paise for selling, closing at 321.18 and 324.56, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR gained 4 paise for buying and lost 1 paisa for selling, closing at 75.94 and 76.86, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 3 paise for buying and 11 paise for selling, closing at 74.21 and 75.04, respectively.
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Weekly inter-bank market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 279.10
Offer Close Rs. 279.30
Bid Open Rs. 279.17
Offer Open Rs. 279.37
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Weekly open-market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 279.23
Offer Close Rs. 280.18
Bid Open Rs. 279.46
Offer Open Rs. 280.23
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Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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