SBP injects Rs13.68tr into market

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday injected more than Rs13.68 trillion into the money market through conventional and Shariah-compliant open market operations (OMO), based on realised value, to support short-term liquidity needs in the banking system that majorly stem from the government's fiscal needs. According to SBP's conventional OMO reverse repo purchase (injection) results, the central bank accepted bids with a total realised value of Rs13.3 trillion, including Rs711.451 billion for the seven-day tenor and Rs12,595.654 billion for the 14-day tenor. The accepted rates of return stood at 10.53% for seven-day and 10.51% for 14-day tenors. In the parallel Shariah-compliant Mudarabah-based OMO injection, SBP accepted bids with a combined realised value of Rs381.293 billion. Of this, Rs75.001 billion was injected for 7 days and Rs306.292 billion for 14 days. The accepted rates of return were 10.56% for the seven-day tenor and 10.57% for the 14-day tenor. Taken together, the two operations show that SBP pumped a total realised liquidity amount of Rs13,688.398 billion into the market. This includes the dominant share from conventional operations, while the Shariah-compliant facility provided additional support to Islamic banking institutions. The conventional operation saw the SBP accept the entire realised value offered by market participants, while in the Shariah-compliant window, the central bank accepted Rs381.293 billion against total realised bids of Rs538.429 billion, indicating selective acceptance of offers. SBP also noted that in the seven-day Shariah-compliant tenor, bids worth Rs87.5 billion at 10.56% were received, of which Rs55.05 billion were accepted on a pro-rata basis. Meanwhile, gold prices in Pakistan rose on Friday, tracking an upward trend in the international market. In the domestic market, the price of gold per tola climbed by Rs3,400 to settle at Rs490,362. Likewise, the price of 10 grams of gold increased by Rs2,915, reaching Rs420,406, according to figures released by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA). A day earlier, on Thursday, gold prices had declined, with the per tola rate falling by Rs7,100 to Rs486,962. In the global market, gold prices gained $34, reaching $4,676 per ounce, including a $20 premium. Moreover, silver prices also moved higher, rising by Rs160 to Rs7,794 per tola. Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee posted a slight gain against the US dollar in the interbank market on Friday. By the close of trading, the local currency stood at 279.10, appreciating by Rs0.01 against the greenback. On Thursday, it had settled at 279.11. In global markets, China's yuan strengthened against the US dollar as the latter steadied, with investor attention shifting to the release of US payroll data later in the day. The dollar had surged a day earlier on safe-haven demand after US President Donald Trump signalled that the Iran conflict could persist. The spot yuan opened at 6.8930 per dollar on Friday and was last trading 37 pips higher than its previous close.