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 279.40, against 279.47 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 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in February 2026, the highest since October 2024, showed Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, a reading in line with the Ministry of Finance’s estimate of 6-7 percent. The consumer price index (CPI) was recorded at 5.8 percent in January 2026. The CPI stood at 1.5 percent in February 2025.
Trade deficit significantly increased by 25 percent to USD25.04 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year (8MFY26), as compared to the same period of the previous year.
The country’s trade balance, the gap between exports and imports, was recorded at a deficit of USD20.04 billion in July-February of the previous fiscal year (8MFY25), according to PBS data.
The foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP increased by USD87 million to USD16.3 billion during the week ended Feb 27, 2026. Overall, the country’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves stood at USD21.43 billion.
Open-market rates
In the open market, the PKR gained 33 paise for buying and 7 paise for selling against USD, closing at 279.70 and 280.45, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR gained 5.71 rupees for buying and 5.17 rupees for selling, closing at 324.65 and 327.93, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR gained 47 paise for buying and 23 paise for selling, closing at 75.99 and 76.93, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR gained 60 paise for buying and 23 paise for selling, closing at 74.18 and 75.12, respectively.
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THE RUPEE
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Weekly inter-bank market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 279.40
Offer Close Rs. 279.60
Bid Open Rs. 279.47
Offer Open Rs. 279.67
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Weekly open-market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 279.70
Offer Close Rs. 280.45
Bid Open Rs. 280.03
Offer Open Rs. 280.52
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Copyright Business Recorder, 2026