### Summary
The current account deficit in Pakistan reduced by 36% in July FY24 compared to the previous year, but July saw a deficit for the first time in four months.
### Facts
- 💸 The current account deficit decreased by 36% to $809 million in July FY24.
- 💰 July's current account was in deficit for the first time in four months, with June having a surplus of $504 million.
- 📉 FY23 successfully reduced the current account deficit to $2.387 billion from $17.481 billion in FY22.
- 🌍 The large current account deficit in FY23 led to a risk of sovereign default, which was addressed with assistance from the IMF, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
- 📉 Goods exports in July decreased by $101 million, while goods imports rose by 23.5% to $4.220 billion.
- 💼 Pakistan's services imports were $811 million, higher than services exports of $538 million in July, resulting in a net decline of $273 million.
- 📉 The trade deficit in FY23 reduced by 42.9% to $27.59 billion.
Source: [Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/1651754/)
The US government's debt has reached a record high of almost $33 trillion, causing concerns about its impact on the nation's finances and the risk of a debt crisis, according to experts like Larry McDonald, Ray Dalio, and Nouriel Roubini.
The current economic crisis in Pakistan is driven by high inflation, mismanaged policies, and failure to ensure price stability, leading to a weakened currency and a struggling middle class, but implementing radical reforms such as demonetization and swapping out foreign currency debt can potentially alleviate the situation and revive the economy.
The U.S. debt is expected to reach $2 trillion this year, doubling from the previous year, due to a decline in global economic growth.
The federal budget deficit is expected to surge to more than $2 trillion this year, nearly doubling last year's deficit, due to increased government spending, high interest payments on the national debt, and rising inflation, leading to concerns about the sustainability of such spending and its impact on future generations.
The Pakistani rupee has depreciated significantly in the first three weeks of the interim government's tenure, reaching a record low and making it the worst-performing Asian currency this quarter, due to factors such as a change in government and high inflation. The State Bank of Pakistan is implementing measures to address the economic challenges, including reforming the exchange rate and modernizing the banking system.
Pakistan's exports saw a significant increase of 22.45% in the first two months of the fiscal year 2023-24, reaching Rs1.27 trillion, while imports decreased by 2.42%.
The U.S. national debt surpasses $33 trillion for the first time, driven by increased federal spending, tax cuts, stimulus programs, and decreased tax revenue, amid a standoff in Congress over a spending bill.
Thailand's new government plans to borrow 2.4 trillion baht ($66.4 billion) for the fiscal year 2024, representing a 9% increase from the current year, as part of their efforts to stimulate the economy.
Pakistan is facing a major economic crisis with high inflation, insufficient public resources, and policy decisions influenced by vested interests, according to the World Bank. The country needs to make hard choices and prioritize coordinated, efficient, and adequately financed service delivery to improve human development outcomes. Additionally, the Pakistani Rupee has reached a record low against the US dollar.
Pakistan's consumption-oriented growth model, heavily reliant on foreign currency loans and imports, is not sustainable for long-term economic growth, and a shift towards investment-led growth and increasing the investment-to-GDP ratio is necessary to generate foreign currency and achieve sustainable growth.
The Pakistani government is considering privatizing power generation and distribution companies or transferring management control to private entities for 20 to 25 years in order to address the country's circular debt in the energy sector. The circular debt in the gas sector has surpassed that of the power sector, reaching a total of Rs2.8 trillion ($17 billion).
The U.S. has a national debt of $33 trillion, raising concerns as the possibility of a government shutdown looms and lawmakers debate spending for 2024.
Saudi Arabia is planning to raise funds from international debt markets to cover a projected budget deficit in 2023-2024 due to lower oil prices and extended oil production cuts, with deficits estimated at $43 billion; however, the country's strong non-oil economy is expected to support growth.
Pakistan secured $2.3 billion in funding from the World Bank, making it the top borrower of the International Development Association (IDA) in fiscal year 2023, while the World Bank approved $10.1 billion for 37 operations in South Asia.
The cost of servicing the US debt is expected to reach a new record by 2025, as higher interest rates increase borrowing costs and push interest payments on the debt to $10.6 trillion over the next decade.
The United States government has added a staggering $275 billion in debt in just 24 hours, contributing to the country's already significant $33 trillion national debt, sparking concerns about its ability to pay essential services and outstanding bills with foreign entities, which could potentially benefit Bitcoin in the long run as it tends to perform well when global liquidity increases.
The Pakistani rupee is expected to strengthen further, potentially falling below 280 against the US dollar, due to factors such as the anticipation of the IMF's next tranche, improved balance of payments, and government actions against illegal dollar trade.
The US government's budget deficit reached $1.7 trillion in the 2023 fiscal year, exceeding the previous year's shortfall by $300 billion, prompting concerns from the International Monetary Fund about the country's fiscal situation.
Pakistan's ability to generate dollar loans has decreased in the past two months, resulting in the depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar. In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, Pakistan secured $3.52 billion from multilateral and bilateral creditors, but commercial loans and international bonds have not been successful. The government must secure $14.1 billion in the remaining three quarters to maintain comfortable foreign exchange reserves and avoid a balance-of-payments crisis.
America's federal budget deficit doubled in the 2023 fiscal year due to slumping tax receipts, rising interest rates, and ongoing demand for pandemic relief benefits, reaching a deficit of $1.7 trillion; however, this number is actually smaller than last year's deficit due to an accounting mirage related to a student loan forgiveness program that was struck down by the Supreme Court.
The US government's debt has reached $33.62 trillion, increasing by about $17.71 billion per day, leading to concerns about the impact on growth and interest payments.
The US posted a $1.695 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2023, marking a 23% increase from the prior year due to falling revenues and increased outlays for programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as record-high interest costs on the federal debt.
The US budget deficit for fiscal year 2023 reached $1.7 trillion, a 23% increase from the previous year, posing challenges for Congress in reaching a federal spending deal before government funding runs out next month.
The U.S. government posted a $1.695 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2023, the largest since 2021, due to falling revenues and increased spending on Social Security, Medicare, and interest costs on the federal debt.
The US deficit for fiscal year 2023 reached $1.7 trillion, growing 23 percent in a year, and multi-trillion-dollar deficits are expected to become the new normal under Bidenomics, driven by excessive government spending and insufficient revenues.
The US cannot rely on economic growth to solve its $33 trillion debt problem, as the debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to reach a record high by 2029, which could lead to unsustainable debt servicing costs due to higher interest rates.