Right then, let’s dive into some rather encouraging news I’ve been tracking from Pakistan. You know, it’s not every day you get a genuinely positive economic story cutting through the usual gloom, but it seems like the folks over there are starting to see some proper daylight. Fitch Ratings – and they don’t hand these out like sweeties, mind you – has just upgraded Pakistan’s economic outlook. That’s a big thumbs-up, really, and it’s down to some serious hard graft by the government on getting their macroeconomic house in order, showing a bit of fiscal discipline, and, get this, a really significant drop in inflation.

I was just looking at the Finance Division’s latest update, and the numbers are quite something. Revenue’s up, expenditure is being kept in check – which, let’s be honest, is the holy grail for any government – and that means the fiscal deficit is shrinking. Even better, the primary surplus is looking stronger. And on the trade front, the current account balance is actually showing a surplus of $1.9 billion. That’s not to be sniffed at, and it’s thanks to exports and those all-important remittances........

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