Business
RDA inflows rise by $205m to $11.3b | The Express Tribune
SBP raises Rs493b in T-bills auction drawing heavy participation; gold softens; rupee firm
KARACHI:
Pakistan received gross inflows of $205 million under the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) scheme in October 2025, taking the cumulative funds received since its launch in September 2020 to a robust $11.313 billion, according to latest statistics from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The investment of $205 million in October marked an improvement compared to the six-month average of $189 million and the long-term average of $182 million since the programme’s launch, according to Topline Research. Meanwhile, net inflows – representing gross inflows minus repatriated funds – stood at $180 million during the month, also higher than the six-month average of $165 million and the overall average of $152 million since inception, reflecting sustained confidence of overseas Pakistanis in the scheme.
Furthermore, the SBP conducted a Treasury Bill (T-bill) auction, raising Rs493 billion against the target of Rs550 billion, which indicated robust investor appetite despite a slight shortfall in acceptance. Bids totalled Rs1,562 billion across different tenures, underscoring sustained liquidity in the market.
In the three-month segment, the auction drew Rs347 billion in bids against a Rs150 billion target, with Rs318 billion accepted at a cut-off yield of 11.04% – marginally lower than the secondary market’s close at 11.05% in the previous session. One-month bills mirrored a similar trend, where Rs112 billion was accepted out of total bids of Rs791 billion at 10.99%, a one-basis-point dip from last week’s levels. However, the six-month paper saw lighter acceptance, with only Rs15 billion raised from bids of Rs357 billion at 11.05%, flat when compared with secondary market yields.
Weighted average yields held steady across the board – 10.97% for one-month, 11.02% for three- and six-month tenors, and an overall auction average of 11.32%.
In a parallel auction, the 10-year Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIB) Floating Rate Semi-Annual (PFL-SA) notes attracted Rs728 billion in bids against a Rs500 billion target, but only Rs55 billion was accepted at a cut-off price of 95.1, implying an effective rate of 11.75%. This represented a modest tightening of two basis points from the prior session’s 11.77%, with spreads over the benchmark narrowing to 0.85% from 0.87%.
Separately, the SBP held a buyback auction of five- and 10-year PFL bonds to manage secondary market liquidity, accepting bids worth Rs122.1 billion at cut-off prices ranging between 98.76 and 100.48, and covering maturities between September 2028 and April 2029.
The Pakistani rupee inched up against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Wednesday, closing at 280.77, an appreciation of one paisa compared with the previous day’s rate of 280.78. Meanwhile, gold prices in Pakistan edged lower, despite a slight rise in the international market, where the yellow metal gained ahead of a US House of Representatives vote to reopen the government, a move that could restart the flow of key economic data and pave the way for a possible Federal Reserve rate cut in December.
According to data released by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the price of gold fell by Rs1,000 per tola, bringing it down to Rs434,762, while the 10-gram rate dropped by Rs857 to Rs372,738. In contrast, silver prices increased by Rs81, reaching Rs5,434 per tola.
Commenting on international price movements, Adnan Agar, Director at Interactive Commodities, noted that gold had broken its upper resistance level. “Gold has moved to the upside. It broke the $4,155 resistance and was trading around $4,170 at its high. The $4,100 level has formed a strong support over the last two days. If this holds, there’s a chance prices could reach $4,200 to $4,220,” he said, adding that the reopening of the US government would bring back critical data releases that could influence next direction of the gold market.
Business
Nike shares fall 9% on weak outlook, expected 20% sales decline in China
A Nike logo is displayed at a Nike store in Austin, Texas, Feb. 5, 2026.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Shares of Nike fell in extended trading Tuesday after the retailer warned sales will fall for the rest of the calendar year, led by an expected 20% decline in its key China market during the current quarter.
Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said during the company’s earnings call that Nike expects sales for its current fiscal fourth quarter to drop between 2% and 4%, compared with Wall Street estimates of a 1.9% increase, according to LSEG.
For the duration of the calendar year, Friend said, the company expects sales to fall by a low single-digit percentage, led by growth in North America and offset by declines in China. That outlook wasn’t comparable to estimates.
Nike beat expectations across the business on both the top and bottom lines for its fiscal third quarter, but its guidance left investors with more questions about how long its turnaround will take. Friend also cautioned that Nike’s guidance was based off of where the global economic picture stands today — and it could change given recent geopolitical volatility.
“We also recognize that the environment around us has become increasingly dynamic, and we could experience unplanned volatility due to the disruption in the Middle East, rising oil prices and other factors that could impact either input costs or consumer behavior,” said Friend. “We are focused on what we can control.”
Shares fell more than 8% in extended trading.
Here’s how the world’s largest sneaker company did for its fiscal third quarter, compared with estimates from analysts polled by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 35 cents vs. 28 cents expected
- Revenue: $11.28 billion vs. $11.24 billion expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 28 was $520 million, or 35 cents per share. That’s a 35% decline from $794 million, or 54 cents per share, a year earlier. That plunge came as Nike’s gross profit margin slid 1.3 percentage points to 40.2%, “primarily due to higher tariffs in North America,” the company said.
Sales were flat at $11.28 billion, compared to $11.27 billion last year.
While Nike beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, it posted a mixed picture regionally. Nike’s largest market of North America continued to show steady growth, as revenue climbed 3% to $5.03 billion, but that was just shy of Wall Street’s expectations of $5.04 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Meanwhile, Nike’s Greater China market continued to shrink, with revenue down 7% to $1.62 billion during the quarter. Still, that total beat analyst estimates of $1.50 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Nike is continuing to work through a colossal turnaround under CEO Elliott Hill. About a year and a half into his tenure, Hill has made strides in repairing parts of the business, but has been clear that it’ll take time for the entire company to improve given the retailer’s scale and complexity.
He reiterated that expectation on Tuesday, saying in a news release that “the pace of progress is different across the portfolio.”
“The areas we prioritized first continue to drive momentum,” Hill said. “The work is not finished, but the direction is clear, our teams are moving with focus and urgency, and our foundation is getting even stronger to build the future of NIKE.”
Friend said Nike’s turnaround efforts “will continue to impact results over the balance of the calendar year.”
Nike’s recovery was already coming at a tough time as a global trade war dented its efforts to improve profitability and drive sales from inflation-weary shoppers. But now the athletic company will have to contend with a new war in the Middle East that’s already led to rising gas prices and is expected to send consumer prices even higher, which could push shoppers to cut back on nice-to-haves like new clothes and shoes to save money elsewhere.
“We continue to be encouraged by the momentum in North America. We’ve got a strong order book for summer,” Friend said. “We’re seeing positive signs and sell through. We’re not seeing a consumer reaction to what’s going on in the Middle East at this point in time, in North America.”
Hill has focused in part on revitalizing Nike’s business with wholesale partners as opposed to direct sales on its website and in stores. Wholesale revenue climbed 5% to $6.5 billion.
Meanwhile, direct sales slid 4% to $4.5 billion.
Business
Tech giant Oracle makes ‘significant’ job cuts
It is thought that thousands of people may have lost their jobs at Oracle, one of the world’s largest tech companies.
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Business
Oil nears highest price since start of Iran war
The US-Israel Iran war has halted almost all traffic in a key waterway and the price Brent crude has surged.
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