The US dollar continued its upward march on Tuesday too as it touched the highest ever Rs224 mark with an appreciation of Rs9 against the Pakistani rupee during the interbank trading but it closed at Rs221.99 with an increase of Rs6.79, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In two days, the US dollar gained over Rs13 against the local currency and so far it gained over Rs42 since the coalition government assumed power.

American currency closed at Rs221.99 with an increase of Rs6.79.   

https://twitter.com/StateBank_Pak/status/1549355816171495424

Earlier on Monday, the US dollar had gained a whopping Rs4.30 increase against the Pakistani rupee to reach Rs215.25 in interbank trading.

The greenback had closed at Rs215.20 on Monday with an increase of Rs4.25 in interbank trading.

The economic experts said that the Pakistani rupee was under pressure due to the current political situation in the country.

After reaching a peak of Rs211.93 on June 22, the dollar started declining for a brief period and fell to a low of Rs204.56 on July 4.

Mettis Global Director Saad Bin Naseer said the rupee was seeing a decline due to “panic buying [of the dollar] from banks in the interbank market”.

He said that “panic is setting in the financial markets following fears of change in [the] government in Punjab and Centre” after the by-polls on the province’s 20 seats. The by-elections saw the PTI register a thumping victory against the PML-N, which leads the ruling coalition.

He went on to say that the downgrading of Pakistan’s outlook from stable to negative by the Fitch rating agency further increased panic in the market.

Moreover, he said, the demand for the dollar among importers had also “spiked” as the future of inflows from the International Monetary Fund, friendly countries, and bilateral sources remained a concern.

Reporter: Ashraf Khan