RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee registered marginal improvement against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Friday.
At close, the local currency settled at 280.11, a gain of Re0.01 against the greenback.
On Wednesday, the local unit closed at 280.12.
The market was closed on Thursday on account of a bank holiday.
Globally, the US dollar made a feeble start to 2026 on Friday after struggling against most currencies last year, while the yen steadied near 10-month lows as traders awaited economic data this month to gauge the path of interest rates.
A dwindling interest rate difference between the US and other economies has cast a shadow over the currency market, resulting in most currencies gaining sharply against the dollar in 2025, with the yen an exception.
The euro was steady at $1.1752 in early Asian hours after surging 13.5% last year, while sterling last bought $1.3474 following a 7.7% increase in 2025. Both currencies clocked their steepest annual rises since 2017.
The yen was last at 156.74 per US dollar after rising less than 1% against the greenback in 2025 and hovering close to the 10-month low of 157.90 it touched in November, which sparked worries of intervention from Tokyo.
Severe verbal warnings from authorities in Tokyo through December managed to push the yen away from the intervention zone, but those fears still linger.
With markets in Japan and China closed, volumes are likely to be thin, and moves muted during Asian hours.
Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, dipped on the first day of trade in 2026 after registering their biggest annual loss since 2020 as investors weighed oversupply concerns against geopolitical risks including the war in Ukraine and Venezuela exports.
Brent crude futures lost 51 cents to $60.34 a barrel by 1350 GMT on Friday while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 52 cents at $56.90.
Open-market movement
In the open market, the PKR lost 5 paise for buying and remained unchanged for selling against USD, closing at 280.54 and 281.15, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR lost 4 paise for buying and gained 8 paise for selling, closing at 328.69 and 331.62, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR lost 3 paise for buying and 7 paise for selling, closing at 76.51 and 77.27, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 5 paise for buying and 10 paise for selling, closing at 74.80 and 75.42, respectively.
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Open Bid Rs 280.54
Open Offer Rs 281.15
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Interbank Closing Rates: Interbank Closing Rates For Dollar on Friday
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Open Bid Rs 280.11
Open Offer Rs 280.31
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RUPEE IN LAHORE: The Pakistani rupee retreated against the US dollar and showed a mixed trend versus the British pound in the local currency market on Friday.
According to currency dealers, the rupee moved in a tight band from early to intraday trading, after opening with a positive note. However, later in the day, it turned highly volatile amid light business activity to finally settle with a weak note. Dealers reported that the rupee’s buying rate at close was Rs 280.50 against Rs 280.00 of the previous day while selling value stayed pegged to Thursday’s level of Rs 281.15.
The local currency was mixed against the British unit with its buying rate closing up fractionally at Rs 376.25 against Rs 376.50 and selling remained marginally down at Rs 380.25 against Rs 380.00 of Thursday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
