Currency: Rupee remains steady against dollar

KARACHI: In the currency market, the rupee ended almost steady at 98.17/98.22 against the dollar.

Heavy debt repayments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been putting a dent in the central bank’s reserves, which have declined by nearly 20% in the current fiscal year, putting pressure on the rupee.

Pakistan made another loan repayment to the IMF of $392 million on February 26, the central bank said. The next IMF repayment of $391 million is due at the end of May.

Meanwhile, overseas Pakistani workers have so far remitted $9.234 billion in the ongoing fiscal year, a growth of 7.47% year-on year, or $642 million.

Monthly average remittances for the first eight months of the fiscal year clocked in at $1.154 billion as compared to $1.074 billion during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Overnight rates in the money market rose to 9.40% from Thursday’s close of 9.10%.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.

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