Author: Finance for Sight

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that a wave of deadly overnight strikes on Gaza was “only the beginning” of Israeli action in the Palestinian territory. “Hamas has already felt the strength of our arm in the past 24 hours. And I want to promise you – and them – this is only the beginning,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “From now on, negotiations will take place only under fire,” he said, adding: “Military pressure is essential for the release of additional hostages”. Tuesday’s strikes, by far the largest since a truce took effect in January, killed…

The Security Papers Limited (SPL) has awarded a paper machine upgrade project worth Rs3.4 billion to a German firm Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) ahead the roll-out of Pakistan’s new design banknotes. “The estimated cost of the project is Rs3.4 billion, which includes an international tender worth Euro 8.297 million awarded to Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), Germany٫” SPL said in a press statement. “The upgrade is expected to be completed within 18 months.” The project is aimed at enhancing SPL’s production capabilities – to meet the latest international trends and incorporate advanced security features for banknote paper to accommodate the evolving requirements of the State…

BR100 12,458 Increased By 125.9 (1.02%) BR30 38,307 Increased By 534.6 (1.42%) KSE100 117,001 Increased By 801.5 (0.69%) KSE30 36,134 Increased By 227.9 (0.63%)

Most stock markets in the Gulf ended higher on Tuesday ahead of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending Russia’s war with Ukraine, while tensions in the region dampened investor sentiment. Trump said he would speak with Putin to discuss a potential Russia-Ukraine cease-fire proposal, which could alleviate some geopolitical uncertainty. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index dropped 0.8%, dragged down by a 1.4% fall in Saudi Aramco as the oil behemoth traded ex-dividend. Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed more than 300 people, Palestinian health authorities said, threatening a complete collapse of a two-month…

CAIRO/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza, killing 326 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, collapsing a two-month ceasefire with Hamas as Israel vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in the strip. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had instructed the military to take “strong action” against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in response to the group’s refusal to release hostages held there and rejection of ceasefire proposals. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” his office said in a statement. Hamas accused Israel of overturning the hard-fought ceasefire deal…

CAIRO/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli air strikes pounded Gaza, killing 254 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, and threatening a complete collapse of a two-month ceasefire as it vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in the strip. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had instructed the military to take “strong action” against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in response to the group’s refusal to release hostages held there and rejection of ceasefire proposals. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. After heavy strikes,…

JAKARTA: Indonesia will raise its palm oil export levy to between 4.5% and 10% of the crude palm oil reference price, up from 3% to 7.5%, to finance a mandated increase in the amount of the oil used in biodiesel, a plantation fund official said on Tuesday. Indonesia raised the mandatory amount of palm oil in its biodiesel mix to 40% this year from 35%. It is studying increasing it to 50% in 2026, as well as a 3% blend for jet fuel next year, as it seeks to curb fuel imports. Kabul Wijayanto, director at the Plantation Fund Agency,…

CAIRO/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least 200 people, Palestinian health authorities said, as attacks hit dozens of targets early on Tuesday, ending a weeks-long standoff over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January. Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian health ministry officials said many of the dead were children. The Israeli military, which said it hit dozens of targets, said the strikes would continue for as long as necessary and would extend beyond air strikes,…

Pakistan’s Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER), a measure of the value of a currency against a weighted average of several foreign currencies, dropped to 102.27 in February 2025, down from 104.06 (revised) in January 2025, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday showed. A REER above 100 means the country’s exports are uncompetitive, while imports are cheaper. The situation reverses when REER is below 100 on the index. As per SBP’s latest data, the REER depreciated 1.72% month-on-month (MoM) in February 2025. When compared with February 2024, the REER value increased by 0.07%, when it stood…

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump declared Monday he was annulling pardons issued by Joe Biden to shield Trump critics from retribution, claiming that they were invalid because his Democratic predecessor had supposedly used an autopen for his signature. It was unclear what, if any, authority Trump has to void presidential pardons issued by his predecessor. It is extremely rare for pardons to be revoked in US history, and doing so in this case could see Trump again testing the limits of executive power as he takes aim at his political enemies. Trump claimed that Biden’s signature on the documents had been carried…