Forex reserves ease to $17.96b

Karachi—Foreign exchange reserves fell to $17.96 billion in the week ending Aug. 20, from $18.04 billion the previous week, due to scheduled debt repayments, a senior central bank official said on Thursday. Reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) fell to $14.50 billion from $14.55 billion a week ago, while those held by commercial banks eased to $3.46 billion from $3.49