Editors’ Note, Pakistan Risk Review

Emerging markets require special attention. Standard models don’t apply, conventional wisdom doesn’t work and traditional thinking can quickly land you in uncharted and troubled territory. Pakistan as an economy is not that different from other emerging markets.

 
Like others we have our own personal challenges and demons. However given our special needs and [...]

April 8, 2009  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: I can't hack it, Pakistan, Pillar II, Risk, the economy stupid  No Comments

The bottom is here …

On 3rd August 2008, I wrote the first depressing post of the season. Titled there goes your coolant, here comes your core, it more or less captured how I felt about the economy and the state of our firm. A number of other posts followed in the next few months with the same [...]

March 31, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Pakistan, the economy stupid  No Comments

Myths about Pakistan – a rant, or a middle class rejoinder – one

The inspiration for this post came from the responses to tech Lahore Post Modern Pakistan post. Not the post but the cynics who turned out in large numbers to remind us how bad things are today and how much worse they have become over the years. I am obviously not as educated or as [...]

March 29, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Desi Back to Desh, Pakistan, small business, the economy stupid  9 Comments

Rupee dollar parity – two

As per Ansar’s request, here is a breakdown of our imports for December 2008. All figures in ‘000 US$.

Food Groups

  

236,176

 

Machinery

 

486,280

 

Mobile phones

 

  

10,149

Transport

 

107,040

 

Petrochemicals

 

403,592

 

Textiles

 

132,305

 

All others

  

761,520

 

 
 
 
 

 
 

2,126,913

 

 
If numbers like these excite you, you should take a look at the Federal Bureau of Statistics website. They have done and carry on doing a great job on the data collection [...]

January 22, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Desi Back to Desh, Desi Startup, PASHA, Pakistan, entrepreneurs  One Comment

The Rupee dollar outlook

The slow down and the correction has finally hit the trade numbers.

The bad news is that compared to the previous month, December exports fell by about 14% in dollar terms. The good news is that imports fell by 22% and the balance of trade is now down to only 800 million US dollars. [...]

January 18, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Desi Back to Desh, Desi Startup, Pakistan, the economy stupid  3 Comments

The state of the Pakistani Economy – part ii

(This post follows on the comments made in my previous post “The rise and fall of the Pakistani Rupee“)

Entrepreneurs are the most irrational of all creatures. We see hope and optimism, when the rest of the world sees doom and gloom. While our internal outlook at times may turn to despair (we never [...]

August 14, 2008  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Desi Back to Desh, Desi Startup, Pakistan, entrepreneurs  9 Comments