Tag: pakistani rupee vs dollar

  • Intraday update: Pakistani rupee drops to Rs268.30, losing more than Rs12 versus US dollar

    Intraday update: Pakistani rupee drops to Rs268.30, losing more than Rs12 versus US dollar

    Pakistani rupee (PKR) continued its downward trend on Friday, with the rupee declining over Rs12 versus the US dollar in the interbank market. The local currency was trading at Rs268.30, compared to yesterday’s close of Rs255.43 in the interbank market.

    The dollar has gained Rs30.41 in the interbank market since Thursday as exchange companies removed the dollar cap, a key demand of the IMF as part of a bailout programme agreed upon in 2018.

    PKR fell to Rs265 against the US dollar in the open market, a decline of Rs3 compared to the day before.

    The removal of the cap on the dollar rate took the currency market by surprise and resulted in extreme volatility. Experts termed it a “much-awaited adjustment” and predicted that it would help in increasing export proceeds and inward remittances through legal banking channels.

    The difference in rates between the interbank and open markets owing to the price cap removal, which had widened to Rs15 in recent months, was almost wiped out.

    The country’s foreign exchange reserves have depleted to a critical level, falling to $3.678 billion in the week ending January 20. This is not enough to finance even three weeks of imports.

    This is a developing story and will be updated after interbank closing.

  • Pakistani rupee loses ground against dollar after 11 days of appreciation

    Pakistani rupee loses ground against dollar after 11 days of appreciation

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) finally lost for the first time since July 28, falling by 0.46 per cent to close at Rs214.88 against the US dollar.

    The PKR was down by Rs1.01 or 0.46 per cent versus the US dollar at around 1:00pm, when it was quoted at Rs214.91.

    In the interbank market on Tuesday, the local currency edged up slightly versus the US dollar, ending the day at Rs213.90, an increase of 0.04 per cent or Rs0.08. The rupee managed to increase for the eleventh session in a row, despite the smaller volume of the advance.

    Remittances to Pakistan totaled $2.52 billion on Tuesday, with a small month-over-month dip reported.

    It is worth noting that PKR has increased by 11 per cent this month, making it the world’s top gainer against the greenback. On the other hand, the stock index climbed by 9 per cent, making it Asia’s second-best performer behind Sri Lanka.

    In order to get the IMF’s approval to resume its stalled bailout programme, Pakistan enacted austerity measures. This comes as frontier countries from Egypt to El Salvador struggle with the possibility of default.

  • Pakistani rupee continues to crash against US dollar, closes near Rs240

    Pakistani rupee continues to crash against US dollar, closes near Rs240

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) continued to depreciate against the US dollar on Thursday, closing near Rs240, another record low in the inter-bank market as a result of pressure from import payments and the government’s alleged inability to intervene.

    The local currency fell by Rs3.92 (1.63 per cent) or more, or Rs239.94, against the dollar, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    Due to the most recent depreciation, the rupee has fallen more than 13 per cent overall over the last 10 trading sessions. As a result of pressure from ongoing political and economic unrest, the rupee had lost Rs3.09 (1.31 per cent) or more on Wednesday. Its closing value was Rs236.02.

    According to Business Recorder, which cited knowledgeable sources, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail stated on Wednesday that due to the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), government interventions in the foreign exchange (forex) market cannot be made to control the rate of the US dollar.

    He insisted that the demand for payments against the $7.5 billion import bill from last month is what is putting pressure on the foreign exchange market. He did, however, guarantee that the problem with the US dollar rate and the stress on foreign exchange reserves will be resolved, and that the exchange rate is anticipated to stabilise starting in August.

    In contrast, Pakistan reported a $2,275 million current account deficit (CAD) for the month of June 2022 as opposed to a $1,637 million deficit for the same month in the previous year. The currency is put under more stress as the current account deficit grows.

    The CAD increased by $14.6 billion in a single year, from $2.8 billion in FY21 to $17.4 billion in FY22.

  • Pakistani rupee fell by 34 per cent in FY 2021-22: Report

    Pakistani rupee fell by 34 per cent in FY 2021-22: Report

    Pakistan’s fiscal year starts on July 1st and ends on June 30th. The rupee to US dollar exchange rate was Rs158.06 at the beginning of fiscal year 2021-2022, and it reached an all-time high of Rs212.103 in the inter-bank market on June 21, 2022. This represents a depreciation of more than 34 per cent in less than a year.

    The graph below demonstrates how the PKR to USD exchange rate varied over time:

    During the fiscal year 2020-2021, the local currency plunged 17.47 per cent from Rs158.062 to Rs184.159 in 9 months, from July 1, 2022 to April 11, 2022, under the PTI regime. Since PDM took over, the rupee has lost nearly 14.31 per cent of its value in just three months.

    The table below compares PKR to dollar values over time, as well as the government in power at the time:

      PKR to Dollar Government
    July 2021 158.062 PTI
    August 2021 162.571 PTI
    September 2021 166.872 PTI
    October 2021 170.997 PTI
    November 2021 170.92 PTI
    December 2021 176.042 PTI
    January 2022 176.214 PTI
    February 2022 176.736 PTI
    March 2022 177.573 PTI
    April 2022 184.159 PTI and PDM
    May 2022 185.794 PDM
    June 2022 197.744 PDM
    June 23 2022 207.516 PDM

    Dollar demand remains strong in the market, pushing the greenback’s value higher against the rupee. The local currency is likely to remain volatile until the IMF agrees to disburse the next tranche of loans to Pakistan.