Rain-thunderstorm expected in Islamabad, Punjab parts.

KARACHI -- The SBPon Wednesday released its Annual Report on the State of Pakistan's Economy for the fiscal year 2019-20 today. According to the report, following difficult but necessary stabilization efforts during the first nine months of the fiscal year, Pakistan's economy was well on course for a steady recovery on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic. By February 2020, the unprecedented balance of payments crisis created by the unsustainable macroeconomic policies of previous years had been forcefully addressed through sizable reductions in the twin fiscal and current account deficits. Following a round of monetary tightening during FY19, core inflation remained relatively stable, notwithstanding

an uptick in headline inflation due to one-off and seasonal factors. In turn, this hard-won stabilization was beginning to lead to the revival of economic activity and the restoration of business and consumer confidence. However, this momentum was temporarily disrupted around the last quarter of the fiscal year by the global and domestic spread of Covid-19 and the...