Pkrevenue.com

Day: June 19, 2021

  • Weekly Review: stocks to make gain on expected FATF positive outcome

    Weekly Review: stocks to make gain on expected FATF positive outcome

    KARACHI: The stock market is likely to regain positive momentum next week on the expected exit of Pakistan from the grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

    Analysts at Arif Habib Limited said that the market to regain positive momentum in the coming week. With FATF’s Plenary Session to be held on 21st June 2021, the index is expected to bounce back as an exit from the grey list seems imminent.

    Furthermore, on COVID-19 front, infection ratio has dropped to 1.91 percent (which is an 8 month low).

    The benchmark KSE-100 index of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) is currently trading at a PER of 6.9x (2021) compared to Asia Pac regional average of 16.5x while offering a dividend yield of ~6.8 percent versus ~2.6 percent offered by the region.

    The market commenced on a positive note this week given a set of relief measures announced in the Budget such as a decline in capital gain tax to 12.5 percent from 15 percent tagged with positive measures for refineries, auto sector and information technology sector.

    Moreover, the government increased dividend expectations from OGDC and PPL (Rs17.50/share and Rs8.25/share, respectively) which kept these scrips in the limelight.

    However, the market turned red later in the week as the investors resorted to profit-taking. Furthermore, a deadlock between the IMF and the government persisted which further stressed sentiment. Albeit, the market settled at 48,239 points, shedding 66 points (down by 0.14 percent) WoW.

    Sector-wise negative contributions came from i) Commercial Banks (176  points) ii) Fertilizer (88  points), iii) Food & Personal Care Products (52  points), iv) Automobile Assembler (34  points) and v) Miscellaneous (31  points). Whereas, the sectors that contributed positively include Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (156  points), Cement (74  points), Power Generation & Distribution (31  points), Engineering (30  points) and Tobacco (25  points). Scrip-wise negative contributors were HBL (88  points), UNITY (56  points), TRG (47  points), UBL (40  points) and EFERT (34  points). Scrip-wise positive contributors were OGDC (99  points), POL (64  points), HUBC (46  points), LUCK (36  points) and SYS (28  points).

    Foreign selling continued this week clocking-in at USD 6.8 million compared to a net buy of USD 7.5 million last week. Selling was witnessed in Commercial Banks (USD 2.5 million) and Technology (USD 2.5 million). On the domestic front, major buying was reported by Individuals (USD 21.4 million and Mutual Funds (USD 10.9 million). Average volumes arrived at 1,049 million shares (down by 3 percent WoW) while average value traded settled at USD 170 million (up by 6 percent WoW).

  • World Bank approves $442mn for improving access to water, sanitation services in Pakistan

    World Bank approves $442mn for improving access to water, sanitation services in Pakistan

    KARACHI: The Executive Board of the World Bank has approved a financing of $442 million to support Pakistan in improving access to water and sanitation services for the vulnerable rural communities in Punjab province, a statement on Saturday.

    It said that the Punjab Rural Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Project (PRSWSSP) will help upgrade water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services that ensure equitable and sustainable access to drinking water and safe wastewater management. The project prioritizes rural settlements, where water contamination and poor sanitation practices are more prevalent, causing high levels of illness and child stunting.

    “PRSWSSP will help more than six million rural residents in the poorest districts of Punjab to reduce child stunting and address areas at high risk to droughts and water scarcity,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.

    “The World Bank is committed to the government in improving sustainable water resource management. This project will support investments that increase climate resilience, including flood protection, rainwater harvesting and water conservation in these districts.”

    The project will implement tailored, cost-effective solutions for both large and small rural settlements, using scalable technologies that help facilitate solid and animal waste management at the household and community levels. It will also establish a water-quality monitoring system to ensure compliance with national standards for drinking water and wastewater.

    The PRSWSSP will promote safe water handling, hygiene, and water conservation practices at the household level, with a focus on maternal, newborn and child health.

    “The project is expected to yield substantial benefits to rural communities. It will help improve health outcomes by reducing water borne illnesses and ensure service quality and customer care through a financially sustainable public company,” said Farhan Sami, Task Team Leader for the project.

    The project will cover 16 districts, with 50 percent of districts drawn from south Punjab, and 25 percent each from central and north Punjab, benefiting 2,000 villages and more than six million people in rural areas. It will also provide training of village councils and community caretakers, which will have complementary responsibilities for operations and maintenance, monitoring and evaluation, and customer service.

    “Child stunting is endemic and a huge constraint on Pakistan’s potential,” said Ghazala Mansuri, co-Task Team Leader for the project. “It impacts a child’s cognitive development and immune system, reducing educational attainment, making illness more likely, and leading to lower productivity and income. Its effects are inter-generational, transmitted from parent to child. This project would provide the template for a transformational shift in human capital accumulation since it addresses all the determinants of stunting.”

    The project design was informed by a 2018 flagship report, When Water Becomes a Hazard: A Diagnostic Report on The State of Water Supply, Sanitation and Poverty in Pakistan and Its Impact on Child Stunting, that examined linkages in Pakistan between water and sanitation services, and child stunting.

    This study also supported environmental sustainability and the need to provide information and support behavioral change in poor rural communities to reduce health risks.

    Pakistan has been a member of the World Bank since 1950. Since then, the World Bank has provided $40 billion in assistance. The World Bank’s program in Pakistan is governed by the Country Partnership Strategy for FY2015-2020 with four priority areas of engagement: energy, private sector development, inclusion, and service delivery. The current portfolio has 57 projects and a total commitment of $13 billion.

  • SBP, JazzCash sign MoU for increasing financial literacy

    SBP, JazzCash sign MoU for increasing financial literacy

    KARACHI: National Institute of Banking and Finance (NIBAF) – a subsiday of State Bank of Pakistan – and JazzCash, Pakistan’s leading FinTech Company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for increasing financial literacy amongst youth of Pakistan, the SBP said on Saturday.

    NIBAF and JazzCash aim to jointly promote financial literacy through the engaging and interactive game called “PomPak – Learn to Earn” developed under SBP’s project, National Financial Literacy Program for Youth (NFLP-Y).

    PomPak, utilizes a story-based narrative by following the journey of two families setting up a small entrepreneurial venture. This helps to keep the players engaged while effectively inculcating ethical behavior and financial skills such as budgeting, saving, and banking. PomPak is available in both English and Urdu for three age groups: children (9-12); adolescents (13-17); and youth (18-29).

    Anyone who completes the course is awarded a certificate of financial literacy jointly from NIBAF and NFLP-Y. It can be played on a desktop computer or can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store for other devices.

    JazzCash, under its partnership, is going to provide SBP access to more than 26 million Pakistanis by promoting the PomPak application on its platform. This will help the application reach a wider audience, thus increasing its usage and eventually promoting financial literacy of the nation resulting in a highly positive socio-economic impact.

    Riaz Nazarali Chunara, Managing Director, NIBAF stressed on the role of increased financial literacy for promoting financial inclusion. He said that being Pakistan’s first e-learning financial literacy game, PomPak has revolutionized the way financial education is delivered. He went on to add that NIBAF is really proud of what PomPak has achieved since its launch and this partnership with JazzCash will contribute majorly towards our commitment to provide free of cost financial education to all.

    While emphasizing on the significance of the MOU, Erwan Gelebart, Chief Executive Officer JazzCash, said that there is ample scope for financial enablement and education through JazzCash.

    Creating a strong business and building a better Pakistan in parallel are key contributors of long-term success for JazzCash. This agreement will contribute in achieving the aforesaid objectives as we look forward to upskill the youngsters of Pakistan, he said.

    Under the guidance of SBP, NIBAF is implementing National Financial Literacy Program for Youth to impart essential financial education to Pakistani youth and school going children. In the last three years, the project has successfully reached more than 45 districts of Pakistan making over 750 thousands financial literate in this category.