Rupee keeps up upward trend against US dollar
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The Pakistani rupee kept up its upward trend on the first day of the week against the US dollar as it gained 53 paisas in its value in interbank trading at close, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to the forex dealers, the value of the US dollar was depreciated by Rs1.37 bringing its exchange rate down to Rs238 by 2pm. At the outset of morning trading activity in the money market on Monday, the US dollar first depreciated by 87 paisa and was trading for Rs238.50 by 11am. However, at the close it settled at Rs238.84.
Interbank closing #ExchangeRate for todayhttps://t.co/zJkUuow7if pic.twitter.com/Ib7azj3pdw
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) August 1, 2022
On Friday, the last trading day of the previous week, the US currency slumped and closed at Rs239.37. The dollar which had been pulverizing the Pakistani rupee for the last few weeks gave some breathing space to Pakistani rupee which on Friday gained 57 paisa in the interbank trading.
Interbank closing #ExchangeRate for todayhttps://t.co/7mgh1WaWW6 pic.twitter.com/YkprdgF19D
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) July 29, 2022
Finance Minister Miftah Ismail during his press conference yesterday, sounded hopeful believing that pressure on the rupee would be dissipated within two weeks and things would become easy. He said rupee value was improving after a reduction in our import bill which was a welcoming sign.
While conceding that dollar had gone out of control post the July 17 by-polls in Punjab, Ismail said he still believed the value of rupee was far greater than where it was currently standing.
“Fundamentals are in my favour, but speculation and sentiments also play a role,” he said.
The sentiments in market have also improved with the hope that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to start the process for releasing the seventh and eighth tranches of a $6 billion loan programme for Pakistan later this week, as has been reported in a section of press.
Pakistan and the IMF signed the $6bn bailout accord — Extended Fund Facility (EFF) — in 2019. But the release of a $1.7 billion (seventh and eighth) tranche has been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan’s compliance with the deal.
Last week, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa telephoned US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to seek Washington’s support for the package.
During the week ending on July 29, the rupee lost 4.8 per cent more of its value against the US dollar. This brings the total loss the rupee has suffered since the end of Imran Khan’s government on April 7 to 27.2pc.
Meanwhile, foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that stood at $11.425 billion at the end of March gradually shrank to $8.575bn as of 22nd July.