Pakistan inflation falls to 2.49 percent in March

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's annual inflation fell to 2.49 percent in March from 3.24 percent in February, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday. Analysts cited lower fuel prices as a key factor behind easing inflation pressures. On a month-on-month basis, prices rose 0.23 percent in March from February. Average inflation in the period from July 2014 to March 2015 was 5.12 percent compared with the year-earlier period. Pakistan economic indicators - April 1

DAILY INDICATORS
  
                                 TUESDAY         PREVIOUS
 Floating Interbank Rate (Rs/$)  101.92/101.97   101.85/101.92
 Rupee/US$ (kerb market)         102.25/102.45   102.20/102.40
 Karachi 100-share index         30,233.87       28,927.04
 Gold (Karachi) Rs/10 gm         40,200          n/a
    
                      CENTRAL BANK AUCTIONS
 
 Treasury bill auction results:                   
 Cut-off yield (pct) at auction on  March 18      March 4
 Three-months bills                 8.1902        8.2353
 Six-month bills                    7.9869        8.1606
 12-month bills                     7.8382        7.9899
 Pakistan Investment Bond (PIB)                   
 auction results                                  
 Cut-off yield (pct) at auction on  March 25      Feb 25
 three-year PIB                     8.2900        8.4980
 five-year PIB                      8.7476        9.1418
 10-year PIB                        9.5002        9.8003
 20-Year PIB                        Bids no       Bids no
                                    Received      Received
   
                      WEEKLY INDICATORS
         
 Week ending                         March 20      March 13
 Total liquid forex reserves       $16.132 bln    $16.273 bln
 Forex held by central bank        $11.067 bln    $11.226 bln
 Forex held by commercial banks     $5.065 bln     $5.047 bln
    
                     MONTHLY INDICATORS
     
                                 LAST          PVS
 Consumer price index    Feb     n/a           n/a
 Change mth/mth (pct)    Feb     0.9           0.1
 Change yr/yr (pct)      Feb     3.2           3.9
 Wholesale price index   Feb     n/a           n/a
 Change mth/mth (pct)    Feb     1.1           1.0
 Change yr/yr (pct)      Feb     3.4           2.4
 Trade Balance           Jan     $-999 mln     $-1.703 bln
 Exports                 Jan     $2.064 bln    $2.156 bln
 Imports                 Jan     $3.063 bln    $3.859 bln
                      ANNUAL INDICATORS
 
 FISCAL YEAR                         2013/14       2012/13
 Population (millions)               *188.2        184.35
 Per capita income                   $1,386        $1,340
 External debt (billion dlr)         *$61.805      $60.857
 Total F.debt as pct of GDP          n/a           n/a
 Domestic debt (billion rupees)      10,832        11,036
 Total domestic debt as pct of GDP   n/a           n/a
 Gross domestic product growth       *4.14 pct     3.7 pct
 Manufacturing sector growth         *5.55 pct     4.53 pct
 Services sector growth              *4.3 pct      4.9 pct
 Agricultural sector growth          *2.12 pct     2.9 pct
 Commodity producing sector growth   n/a           n/a
 Average consumer price inflation    *8.6 pct      7.4 pct
 Fiscal deficit (pct of GDP)         n/a           8.8 pct
 Trade balance (FBS July-June)       $-19.98 bln   $-20.49 bln
 Exports                             $25.13 bln    $24.46 bln
 Imports                             $45.11 bln    $44.95 bln
 Current a/c balance                 $3.096 bln    $2.496 bln  
                                                   
  * = provisional
  SBP = State (central) Bank of Pakistan
  FBS = Federal Bureau of Statistics. –Reuters

    - Reuters