Gallup Survey: Pakistan Rank High On Optimism

The results of the 2015 WIN/Gallup International survey of 68 countries across the globe show Pakistan ranking 5th on economic optimism and 10th on overall optimism.

The World Bank reporting the tailwinds pushing Pakistan's economic growth seems to support the optimism in Pakistan.  Most observers believe that the year 2015 has turned out to be a good year for Pakistan with the return of general optimism among businessmen, investors and consumers. Economic recovery has continued as Pakistan Army's efforts, including its Operation Zarb e Arb and Karachi Operation by Rangers, have started to bear fruit with significant decline in terrorism. There are new signs of a thaw in India-Pakistan ties with Indian Prime Minister Modi's surprise year-end visit to Lahore. Efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan took a new positive turn with the hopeful entry of the Taliban into a quadrilateral process involving Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States.


Source: WIN/Gallup Survey 2015

Overall, 64% of Pakistanis say they happy, slightly below the 66% average for the 68 countries surveyed. Among south Asian nations, 66% of Bangladeshis, 58% of Indians and 42% of Afghans say they are happy, according to WIN/Gallup International Survey for 2015.

Bangladesh (74%), Nigeria (61%) and Columbia (85%) top Hope, Economic Optimism and Happiness Indices respectively. Pakistan scores 42% (rank 10) on hope and 50% (rank 5) on economic optimism indices. India scores 47% (rank 9) on Hope and 44% (rank 6) on Economic Optimism indices.

Jean-Marc Leger, President of WIN/Gallup International Association, said that "2015 has been a tumultuous year for many across the globe, despite that the world remains largely a happy place. 45% of the world is optimistic regarding the economic outlook for 2016, up by 3 per cent compared to last year."

Let's hope the new crises unfolding at the start of the year 2016 such as the China market crash, the Pathankot terrorist attack in India, the new escalation of Iran-Saudi  conflict and the claimed hydrogen bomb test claimed by North Korea do not sour the 2015 year-end  optimism reported by the WIN/Gallup survey.

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Pakistan's Trillion Dollar Economy

China-Pakistan Industrial Corridor (CPEC)

How Can Pakistan Benefit From Low LNG Prices?

Who's Better For Human Development? Politicians or Musharraf?

Pakistan's Economic Recovery in 2015

SBP: Pakistan's GDP is Underestimated

Comments

Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan receives remittances of $9.7b in 1st 6 months (Jul-Dec) of FY 2016 from diaspora. Up 6.2% from last year. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1025906/pakistan-receives-remittances-amounting-to-9-7b-in-jul-dec/ …

Overseas Pakistanis sent remittances amounting to $9.7 billion in July-December, which translates into a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 6.2%, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday.

Remittances amounted to $9.1 billion in the same six months of the preceding fiscal year. They amounted to almost $1.63 billion in December alone, which is 2.8% higher than the remittances received in the preceding month, SBP data shows.

Pakistanis based in foreign countries sent home $18.4 billion in 2014-15, which translated into a YoY increase of 16.5%. Inflows from Saudi Arabia were the largest source of remittances in Jul-Dec. They amounted to nearly $2.9 billion in the six months, up 9.3% from the corresponding period of the last year.

Remittances received in Jul-Dec from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased 9.4% to $2.1 billion on a YoY basis. Inflows from the UAE had registered the largest increase (26.1%) from any major remittance-sending country in 2014-15, SBP data shows.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, remittances from Dubai have surged 42% YoY. But the figure for overall inflows from the UAE so far has remained subdued because of a 27.2% annual decline in remittances from Abu Dhabi over the same period.

Remittances from the United States and the United Kingdom remained $1.3 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively, in Jul-Dec. The YoY change in remittances from the US and the UK has been -4.4% and 3.2%, respectively.

Decline in US

According to a separate SBP report issued last month, it believes that US workers of Pakistani origin are holding on to their savings within the United States instead of remitting them back home. They are withholding that portion of their savings that they would otherwise send their families for “investment purposes,” the SBP believes.


In the presence of a wide gap between the rates of investment returns in the United States and Pakistan, US workers of Pakistani origin would prefer investing their savings in Pakistan until recently – something that resulted in healthy annual growth in worker remittances from the United States for many years.

But with interest rates going up in the United States and coming down in Pakistan, the difference in the average investment returns is narrowing.

Remittances from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, excluding Saudi Arabia and the UAE, clocked up at $1.1 billion in Jul-Dec, which is 11.7% higher than the remittances received from these countries in the same months of the preceding fiscal year.

Remittances from Kuwait in Jul-Dec equalled $365.6 million while those from Oman, Bahrain and Qatar amounted to $391.4 million, $236.5 million and $180.2 million, respectively.

This means the overall share of the oil-rich GCC countries in Pakistan’s remittances is over 64%. Many analysts fear remittances from these countries may dwindle going forward, as their governments begin to scale back infrastructure spending in the wake of a sharp fall in global oil prices.

Remittances received from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan and ‘other countries’ last month amounted to $136 million as opposed to $102.9 million received in December 2014.
Riaz Haq said…
#China Powers up #Pakistan: The Energy Component of the CPEC | The Diplomat #CPEC

http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/china-powers-up-pakistan-the-energy-component-of-the-cpec/ …


China and Pakistan held a ceremony beginning construction for the planned Karot hydropower plant on January 10, marking the start of one more energy project on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The $1.65 billion hydropower plant, spearheaded by China’s Three Gorges Corporation, was the first project to receive funding from China’s Silk Road Fund. Upon completion (scheduled for 2020), the Karot plant will provide 720 MW of energy harnessed from the Jhelum River.

The Karot plant is part of the broader China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, which itself is part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative to link China with Europe (and all the regions in between). Though the CPEC is often understood solely in terms of transportation infrastructure – developing the Chinese-controlled port at Gwadar and linking it to China via rail and road – that’s not the only aspect of the project. Under the “1+4” cooperation framework unveiled during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s April 2015 visit to Pakistan, the CPEC is the “1,” with the “4” representing key areas of the larger strategy. Energy is one of those four areas, along with Gwadar Port, transport infrastructure, and industrial cooperation. In fact, China and Pakistan officially broke ground on five new energy projects, all of them considered part of the CPEC, during Xi’s visit to Pakistan last year.

Along with the Karot hydropower project, the CPEC also includes Chinese construction of the world’s largest solar plant in Punjab Province. The first section began providing electricity in August 2015; the second portion is currently under construction by Chinese firm Zonergy. When completed by the end of this year, the entire solar plant is expected to produce up to 1,000 MW of power.

Another project is a coal power plant at Port Qasim, which was in fact the first energy project included under the CPEC framework. According to China Daily, the plant, being constructed by Powerchina Resources Ltd., will cost $2 billion and should be finished by the end of 2017. The project will consist of two 660 MW coal plants, for a total energy generation of 1320 MW.

Of course, Chinese investment in Pakistan’s energy sector predate the CPEC — just look at perhaps the most famous joint project, the $10 billion expansion of the Karachi nuclear power plant. But the scale of the CPEC energy projects are mind-boggling.

All told, 14 Chinese-constructed energy projects in Pakistan tied to the CPEC are supposed to provide an additional 10,400 MW of electricity by March 2018 – more than enough to make up for Pakistan’s 2015 energy shortfall of 4,500 MW. And that’s only part of the story. According to China Daily, there are a total of 21 planned energy projects in the works under the CPEC framework. Altogether, these projects should eventually produce 16,400 MW of power, roughly the same as Pakistan’s current capacity.

As they say, the best-laid plans often go awry, so it’s likely not every project will be completed on schedule (or even at all). But the sheer scale of China’s energy plans for the CPEC ensures that it has a chance to be a game-changer for Pakistan, where rolling blackouts are common due to energy shortages.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan car sales jump 66% to reach 111,720 units in first 6 months of Fiscal Year 2015-16 #CPEC

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/01/12/business/car-sales-up-66-to-reach-111720-units/ …


The sales of the locally assembled cars have gone up by 66 per cent to reach 111,720 units in the first half of the current fiscal year (2015-16) against only 67,426 units in the same period last year, the data released by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) said on Monday.

However, the sales of locally assembled cars and tractors (including LCVs) declined by 5 per cent to 18,150 units in December 2015 due to seasonal slowdown as buyers tend to defer car purchases until next year.

“The main reason behind the rising sales of cars is said to be declining interest rates of the banking channels especially for the auto financing as well as overall improvement in the economic situation of the country,” said Topline Brokerage House analyst Muhammad Tahir Saeed.

In a recent development, Pak Suzuki (PSMC), Indus Motors and Honda increased the prices of all of their models by 1 per cent in December 2015 following the government decision of increasing one per cent custom duty on the import of all accessories of the vehicles. Car assemblers were able to pass on the cost hike to the customers due to strong demand in the country.

The government has not yet announced the Auto policy for the next five years but Engineering Development Board (EDB) has submitted the final draft policy to the Ministry of Industries in December 2015. In the policy, the EDB has recommended to give incentives to the newcomers in the auto sector and asked the government to force the companies to deliver the vehicles on time and in case of non-delivery in 60 days, the company will pay back interest on the total amount paid by the customers at the time of the booking.

The analyst forecast that local car sales will grow at 15 per cent in the rest of the fiscal year 2015-16 to reach 206,777 units. This lower growth is due to completion of taxi scheme in February 2016 and decline in Honda Civic volumes in anticipation of new model, which is expected to hit the market in July 2016.

Amongst individual companies, PSMC sales increased by 97 per cent year on year to 70,482 units in the first half 2015-16 primarily due to Punjab government’s taxi scheme.

Contrary to historical trend of December, volumes increased by 3 per cent month on month in December 2015 primarily due to the taxi scheme. Historically, it has been observed that customers defer their buying in December due to year-end phenomenon as they usually prefer to purchase and register their vehicles in the first month of the new year.

INDU sold 30,481 units in first half 2015-16 up from 22,883 units in the same period last year.

In Dec 2015, INDU sales stood at 4,738 units, up 16 per cent YoY. On MoM basis, sales declined by 14 per cent YoY due to year-end phenomenon.

Honda sold 10,610 units in the first half 2015-16 compared to 8,578 units during the same period last year. In December 2015, HCAR sold 1,028 units, up 49 per cent YoY (down 33 per cent MoM).

“Volumes of Honda Civic are expected to dry out in the coming months in anticipation of new model launch in July 2016,” the analyst said.

DELAY IN SUBSIDY AFFECTS TRACTOR SALES:

Pakistan’s tractor segment posted a decline of 41 per cent YoY during the first half 2015-16 to reach 12,375 units. This decline is because of the delay in the launch of provincial tractor subsidy schemes. Punjab and Sindh governments announced in the 2015-16 budget that a subsidy of 25,000/29,000 would be offered on each tractor.

Millat Tractors (MTL) and Al-Ghazi Tractors (AGTL) both witnessed a decline in their volumes during first half of 2015-16.
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Trucks and buses segment of Pakistan’s automobile sector posted an increase of 40 per cent YoY to reach 2,645 units during first half 2015-16. This surge was due to rising demand because of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and improving law and order situation in the country.
Riaz Haq said…
500 sq yds to 1000 sq yds DHA #Karachi homes selling for half a million to a million us dollars average. #Pakistan

http://tribune.com.pk/story/982816/karachi-popular-lahore-and-islamabad-fail-to-match/ …

The real estate market entered the fourth quarter smoothly, banking on the success of several popular property markets.

This followed a continuous rise in prices of real estate in major cities – Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad – in the third (July-September) quarter of 2015.

Why Lahore is better than Karachi today

Even though some projects of prominent developers did face a few impediments, this was not a reason enough to raise major concerns, according to a report released by zameen.com, an online property portal.

According to the report, Karachi’s realty market performed brilliantly. There was just one exception – Bahria Town Karachi – which posted unfavourable numbers as prices of 250 square yard plots fell 5.39%. Similarly, a drop of 3.85% was recorded in 500 square yard plots in the third quarter.

DHA Karachi and DHA City Karachi, on the other hand, did not disappoint and gave investors encouraging returns. DHA Karachi recorded a sharp 8.27% price gain for 500 square yard plots and an even sharper rise of 12.35% for 250 square yard plots.

DHA City Karachi registered increases of 16.60% and 11.65% in prices of the two categories respectively.

Five reasons why Karachi is better than Dubai

DHA Karachi once again emerged as the most expensive locality, where the average sale price of a 500-square-yard house stood at Rs60 million and that of a 250-square-yard home was Rs41 million.

Lahore market

The property market of Lahore saw a humble upward movement. Although many major localities continued to excite investors by registering good levels of growth, DHA Lahore remained merely stable in the one-kanal category with prices dropping a negligible 0.69%.

However in the 10-marla category, a sharp drop of 6.61% was registered in the third quarter, said the report.

There could be a variety of reasons behind this, including the imposition of withholding tax on banking transactions, a rise in taxes and the income source disclosure notices sent to investors. Most significantly, the take-off of DHA projects in Bahawalpur, Multan and Peshawar may have shifted investor focus.

10 reasons why we love Karachi

In contrast, Bahria Town and LDA Avenue-I performed well despite multiple pending litigations. Bahria Town depicted a sharp price rise of 14.57% for one-kanal plots and a 5.32% increase for 10-marla plots. LDA Avenue-I posted a 5.04% rise in the one-kanal category and 7.63% gain in the 10-marla category.

Islamabad market

The real estate market of Islamabad showed a mixed picture. Sector E-11 registered price increases of 3.33% and 1.69% and F-11 recorded rises of 2.22% and 3.73% for one-kanal and 10-marla categories respectively.

Bahria Town experienced a sharp 5.66% rise for one-kanal plots whereas prices of 10-marla plots remained stable, with a negligible drop of 0.76%. Activity in DHA Islamabad seemed listless this time around. The one-kanal category saw a 1.57% drop, while 10-marla plots recorded a 4.30% drop.

The status of DHA Valley and the intended development of Dadocha dam on its site remained controversial. Needless to say, investor confidence has taken a hit.

Karachi population to increase by 50% in 15 years

However, DHA Islamabad has recently announced plans to allot alternative plots to those affected by the DHA Valley problems, so things could start to look better soon.

Predictably, Sector F-11 remained one of the most expensive localities, where the average price of a one-kanal house stood around Rs69 million and that of a 10-marla house was around Rs36 million.

http://www.zameen.com/Homes/Karachi_DHA_Defence-213-2.html#reference
Riaz Haq said…
#China's #CPEC investment in #Pakistan, largest ever in a foreign country, could grow even larger in 2016 and beyond

http://www.eurasiareview.com/17012016-china-pakistan-relations-forecast-2016/#.VpxRt1RZ6YU.twitter …

It appears that the recently announced China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will remain at the centre of Sino-Pakistan ties during 2016, and even beyond. The CPEC, signed in 2013, got a boost in April 2015 during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pakistan visit, where he announced the allocation of US$46 billion for its completion. This is the largest investment China has committed to another country, and the largest Pakistan has ever received.

According to some informed quarters, China may add to this volume if the implementation of the CPEC moves forward smoothly on the Pakistani side. The corridor intends to connect China’s western region with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port via a network of roads, rail and fiber optics.

The CPEC is a part of Xi’s grand strategic concept of “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) to connect with over 60 countries and regions. Under OBOR, besides CPEC, China has initiated other projects such as the Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor; Silk Route in Central Asia; and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route. But the CPEC is regarded as the ‘flagship’ project among them due to various reasons.

It is the only corridor that involves just one other country, Pakistan, and with whom China has a ‘trust’-based relationship. Other corridors consist of different countries with varying degrees of relations with China. Moreover, the CPEC can provide China an access to the Indian Ocean by reducing both time and distance. This route is not only shorter in distance but avoids the Malacca Strait and the vast Indian Ocean dominated by rival Indian and US navies.

For Pakistan, the CPEC can bring large-scale investments in the energy sector, infrastructure building, and industry, giving a boost to its moribund economy. Once Pakistan is prepared, China may also move some of its industry and bring Pakistan into its chain of production. Above all, the CPEC will increase China’s stakes in Pakistan which will leverage Islamabad in regional affairs. It is this backdrop that demonstrates the centrality of the CPEC in future Sino-Pak relations.

From the construction point of view, the corridor has been divided into short, mid and long-term projects. In 2016, progress or completion of some projects for infrastructure development and energy are expected. Actually, it is the top priority of the incumbent government to finish some projects at the earliest to show its performance to the public.

According to the understanding that exists between the two countries, Chinese state companies will build several CPEC-related projects. 2016 will thus witness a number of Chinese engineers, technicians and workers coming to Pakistan. There are already over 120 companies and 1,20,00 technicians engaged in different projects in Pakistan. This increased number of Chinese nationals in Pakistan will add to two-way exchanges. At the same time, however, it will also raise the question of their safety and security. Pakistan has established a special force of 1,20,00 men under the army to provide security to Chinese expatriates and guard their construction work. But given the law and order situation in the country, these measures appear insufficient. Lack of sufficient security may restrict the free moment of Chinese workers and tourists.
Riaz Haq said…
DAVOS, Switzerland: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday invited Swiss and international investors to Pakistan’s energy, telecom, infrastructure, urban development, agro-industry and textiles sectors that offer exciting opportunities for investment.

“I invite you to be our partners in realizing our vision for Pakistan. Our vision is of a Pakistan which is business friendly; a Pakistan where foreign investors feel safe and secure; and a Pakistan which is modern, progressive and forward-looking,” he told a group of investors here at a breakfast meeting.

“I assure you that my business-friendly government will extend all possible assistance to you in your business endeavours in Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said as he shared with the gathering, country’s greatly improved internal security situation, and robust economic indicators.

He was speaking at a Breakfast Meeting, hosted by Ikram Sehgal, Chairman of the Pathfinder Group on “Pakistan – A land of Business Opportunities.”

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Miftah Ismail attended the meeting along with around a hundred participants of the World Economic Forum.

The Prime Minister said investment incentives in Pakistan were diverse and business friendly.

“Our primary objective is to create an environment conducive for investment inflows. We offer a liberal investment policy, which includes 100 percent equity ownership, full repatriation of capital, tax-breaks, and customs duty concessions on import of machinery and raw materials,” Nawaz Sharif told the investors.

“We offer prospects of co-production, joint ventures with local partners and joint marketing arrangements. The taxation regime is one of the lowest in the region and its collection is undertaken through a dedicated Large Taxpayers Unit. A multiplicity of tax concessions is available along with provisions of tax exemptions to specific businesses,” he said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the investors gathered in the Swiss town for the 46th World Economic Forum that Pakistan’s economic upturn was now being acknowledged and appreciated worldwide.

“Leading international publications, funds managers and rating agencies have made positive assessments of our economic turnaround,” he added.

He said Pakistan was home to the 6th largest population in the world with 180 million people. He said Pakistan has 26th largest economy by purchasing power parity, 44th largest economy by real Gross Domestic Product and the 10th largest country in the world, according to the size of its labour force.

“With a thriving democracy, sound economic policies, a youthful population, abundant natural resources and its strategic location, Pakistan is poised to emerge as an economic powerhouse in the region. We are promoting accountable, responsible and transparent governance, bolstered by a free media, independent judiciary and a vibrant civil society.”

http://www.dnd.com.pk/pm-nawaz-invites-intl-investors-to-pakistans-energy-infrastructure-agri-sectors/104883
Riaz Haq said…
‘#Pakistan to receive up to $500 million (portfolio investment) post #MSCI re-classification’ to emerging market

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1033420/from-frontier-to-emerging-pakistan-to-receive-up-to-500-million-post-msci-re-classification/ … …

Pakistan is expected to receive an inflow of up to $500 million in foreign portfolio investment should the MSCI reclassify it as an emerging market in its upcoming annual review in May, says Next Capital CEO Najam Ali.

MSCI is a leading provider of international investment decision support tools. Assets of more than $9.5 trillion are estimated to be benchmarked to MSCI indices worldwide.

Investment portfolio: FDI shrinks to $803.2m in 11MFY15

Speaking to The Express Tribune last week, Ali said his conversations with foreign fund managers show Pakistan should expect “significantly better” investments after MSCI upgrades its status from Frontier Market (FM) to Emerging Market (EM).

Global institutional investors use different MSCI indices – such as frontier, emerging, China and US markets – to create balanced portfolios to generate maximum returns while keeping in view their overall risk appetite.

Ali’s comments follow several bouts of volatility on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that were triggered by an unrelenting foreign sell-off.

In fact, foreign selling was one of the main reasons for the flat performance of the PSX in 2015, as the net outflow of foreign investment amounted to $317.3 million. In contrast, there was a net inflow of $382.5 million in 2014, resulting in a 33% rise in the benchmark index. Investors’ confidence in the stock market remains shaky, as most blue-chip shares continue to take a battering.

Three Pakistan companies upgraded on investors’ radar

Pakistan was part of MSCI EM between 1994 and 2008. However, the temporary closure of the Karachi Stock Exchange in 2008 led MSCI to remove it from EM and classify it as a “standalone country index”. MSCI made Pakistan a part of FM in May 2009 and it has remained as such since then.



Currently, six Pakistani companies – Engro Corp, MCB Bank, Habib Bank, United Bank, OGDC and Fauji Fertilizers – meet the size and liquidity criteria of MSCI for EM. A company must have market capitalisation of $1.3 billion to be part of EM as opposed to $670 million for FM. Similarly, the EM requirement for minimum free float is $670 million as opposed to $52 million for FM.

Pakistan’s weight in the MSCI FM Index is 8.9%. Its weight in the MSCI EM Index will be approximately 0.17%. “Most FM funds will continue their investment in Pakistan as long as the improving macro theme is intact,” Ali said, adding that EM funds will also start investing in Pakistan post-reclassification. “If Pakistan’s macro story improves further, we can expect a significantly higher level of inflows.”

Qatar and UAE underwent an MSCI upgrade recently. Both markets witnessed “dramatically positive impacts” when their reclassification to MSCI EM was announced in May 2013, Ali said. “UAE saw a 40% re-rating in the price-to-earnings multiples between May 2013 and May 2014 while the re-rating in Qatar over the same period was 45%,” he added.

Currently 15 companies on the PSX have a market capitalisation of more than $1 billion. More companies will qualify for MSCI EM with better liquidity and free float, he added.

365 days, 685 points

Time to buy

Ali said nothing in the Pakistani market should worry international investors. “Foreign funds are receiving redemption requests, which means they have to offload investments locally as well. But foreigners are selling only a handful of Pakistani stocks. Why should the rest of the market fall? It is time for locals to buy.”

He suggested that the finance minister should set up a market stability fund of Rs20 billion under the state-owned asset management company with the sole objective of absorbing any foreign selling. “It will restore investors’ confidence in the market. The economy is doing well, so should the stock market,” he said.
Riaz Haq said…
Economist Amartya Sen: "Never been optimistic about #India. But today, I'm more pessimistic" #Modi #BJP

http://qz.com/601769 via @qzindia


From Davos to New Delhi, prime minister Narendra Modi and his government are trying hard to sell the story of India’s revival. But Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has scarcely been more pessimistic about the state of the nation.
At an evening session of the Kolkata Literary Meet on Jan. 23, the 82-year-old Harvard University professor was asked if and when he had felt the most optimistic in the decades of observing India’s policies on education, the agency of women, and healthcare.
“I don’t think I’ve felt optimistic at any time,” Sen replied chortling, as the audience of a few hundreds chuckled briefly.
His early years during India’s colonial occupation, he explained, were no reason for optimism, although there was much hope that Independence would turn the situation around. “Then came Nehru’s speech at midnight, and we were going to do great things in education and healthcare,” Sen said. “That remained the rhetoric, and is still today the rhetoric.”


“You said that schools have expanded…” Sen said, turning to Harvard University historian and Trinamool Congress member of parliament, Sugata Bose, who was in conversation with the economist on stage. “They have expanded but still there are many schools with one teacher, which is very difficult…”
Bose helpfully recalled the “savage cuts” in primary education under the Modi government. Indeed, in the first full budget presented by finance minister Arun Jaitley last year, the government cut back on the country’s education budget by 16%, with a 10% reduction in planned outlay to the school sector. Alongside, the government’s spending on health dropped by 15%.
“What I didn’t recognise,” Sen continued, “I feared it might be worse (but) I didn’t recognise, what Sugata (Bose) referred to just now, how big and savage the cuts in an already very low budget would have been.”
“China spends 3% of its income on healthcare,” he explained. “We spend less than 1% and most of it goes in a peculiar way like RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana), which is totally counterproductive. You subsidise private hospitals with it when you have expensive treatment but you don’t do the basic public services in healthcare…”

“So I never was very optimistic, but am I more pessimistic right now? Ya.”
Another round of muffled laughter followed.
This isn’t the first time that Sen has expressed concern on India’s renewed attempts to push for higher economic growth without first improving its education and healthcare systems. In an interview last November at the London School of Economics, Sen had explained:
India is the only country in the world which is trying to become a global economic power with an uneducated and unhealthy labour force. It’s never been done before, and never will be done in the future either…
…India is trying to be different from America, Europe, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, China—all of them. This is not a good way of thinking of economics. So foundationally, the government’s understanding of development underlying their approach is mistaken. Having said that, the previous government was terribly mistaken, too. But one hoped there might be a change, and there has been, but not for the better. All the sins of the past government have been added up.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan plans its first mega nuclear 2000 MW power plant - The Economic Times http://ecoti.in/N4OqxZ
Energy-starved Pakistan will set up a mega nuclear power plant with power generation capacity of 2,000 megawatts, the first in the country's history.

"It will be the first time in the history of the country that a mega nuclear power plant would be set up with power generation capacity of 2,000 megawatts," Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said today.

Iqbal said that Thar is enriched with natural coal deposits and the government is committed to utilising the res ..

"Super critical technology will be used in the coal power plant, which will be established with the financing of the Asian Development Bank in Jamshoro to ensure a safe environment," he was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan.

Pakistan faces about 5,000 MW energy shortages and the government has launched several projects to bridge the gap.
Riaz Haq said…
The Rise Of #Pakistan: Analyst "extremely bullish on Pakistan's future" #CPEC

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3843276-rise-pakistan-industry-approach-king?source=tweet … $PAK

By Dylan Waller

I am extremely bullish on Pakistan's economic future, and focus on buy opportunities for listed equity in Pakistan.

ETFs are often not the best reflection of a country's value, and there are some relevant concerns I have with this ETF.

Pakistan trades at a strong discount to emerging Asia, and will be reclassified for eligibility as an emerging market this year.

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor will serve as a catalyst for Pakistan's economy, and primarily benefit the cement industry.

Pakistan is an incredibly relegated frontier market, with strong upside potential, driven both by the strong levels of growth ahead for the country, and Pakistan's discount to emerging Asia. The newly launched Global X MSCI Pakistan ETF (NYSEARCA:PAK) offers U.S. investors exposure to Pakistan's economy, by investing in a diverse portfolio of approximately 32 securities. I have noticed, along with other SA contributors, that ETFs are often not a pure representation of a country's economic potential, and have also personally observed that actively managed funds offer a superior alternative to outperform a stock market index/ETFs.

An extreme case of a poor performing ETF in a strong performing market is the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (NYSEARCA:VNM), which curiously declined amid the VN Index gain for a wide number of reasons, mainly due to its industry approach and valuation. Investing in strategic, high-growth industries, while selecting stocks with lower valuation and higher dividend yields, is one of the clear cut ways to outperform the index and be successful in frontier and emerging markets. I have previously outlined a bull case for Pakistan in this article, and would like to follow through with an analysis of which industries in Pakistan should be sought after and avoided, and whether the Global X MSCI Pakistan ETF is an appropriate vehicle for this promising, frontier market.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan: An Undiscovered Land Of Opportunities For International Investors. #CPEC http://seekingalpha.com/article/3936206-pakistan-undiscovered-land-opportunities?source=tweet … $PAK $NTWK $PKKKY

Summary

Lowest market P/E in the region with the highest return.

Macroeconomic stability.

Upgradation of Moody's rating of the country.

Pakistan is the 26th largest economy according to PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), and the sixth largest populous country in the world with a burgeoning middle class, having 54% of the population below the age of 24 years. In news, Pakistan has been presented as the turbulent nation embroiled in militancy and political violence. However, the landscape of the country has been changing since the past two years, with an improving macroeconomic situation, steady political outlook and substantial improvement in law and order, and the upgradation of its bond ratings from Caa1 to B3, a stable outlook.

On 9th June 2015, the MSCI stated about a potential reclassification of the MSCI Pakistan Index into Emerging Markets from the current classification of Frontier Markets in its 2016 Annual Market Classification review. This categorization would trigger a large flow of emerging market funds to return to Pakistan as the MSCI Emerging Market Index is tracked by global funds worth $1.7 trillion, according to Bloomberg.

Further, in one of the lectures at the Aga Khan University, the Chief Investment Strategist of Morgan Stanley said that Pakistan's rise is just a matter of time. This was due to the favorable demographics and the lower P/E of the stocks - performing better in terms of return - when compared to the markets of the developed world.

The KSE 100 Index, which tracks the top 100 companies out of the 557 listed on the stock exchange had a five-year US dollar CAGR of 25% (highest among its peers) and net profit margins 60% above the five-year average of the peer group whose margins are 10.2% lower than its five-year average. The Bourse has an average ROE of 19.2% against the peer average of 10.2%.

Pakistani stocks are cheaper when compared to their regional peers. Consider the following graph for further details:

As the above graph illustrates, Pakistani stocks have a lower P/E, P/B and higher dividend yield relative to its peers.

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