Why economics must go digital

One of the biggest concerns about today's tech giants is their market power. At least outside China, Google, Facebook, and Amazon dominate online search, social media, and online retail, respectively. And yet economists have largely failed to address these concerns...

Budgetary allocation for cash incentives meagre

The annual budgetary allocation for cash incentives is paltry with a rising number of sectors enjoying the benefit over the years, stakeholders have said.In the last four fiscal budgets, the government has kept Tk 45 billion every year to promote...

Chattogram port facing container congestion

CHATTOGRAM, June 08: The Chattogram port, the prime seaport of the country, is facing container congestion due to a long Eid vacation. Even though the port remained open during the vacation, the delivery of containers was slow. Sources said due...

Initial delay dogs ADP

Planning ministry has identified major impediments that slow down the execution of projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP). The Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the ministry, in an intensive review, has detected the delay in starting project...

GPH Ispat sees steady growth in net profit, turnover in last three FYs

GPH Ispat, one of the country's leading steel manufacturing companies, displayed a steady growth in net profit and turnover in last three fiscal years (FYs) through better utilisation of production capacity.The company reported its net profit of above Tk 643.58...

It's not enough to get children into schools

THE STUDENTS ARE COUNTING IN THREES. NOT THE WAY ONE RECITES THE TABLES IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT VISUALISING IT IN THEIR MIND: Western research in the field of math pedagogy points to the importance of children's indigenous knowledge and strategies...

Energy consumption energises economic growth

In the last six years, Bangladesh has been maintaining a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate between six and seven per cent in a bid to reach its aspired goal of becoming a developed economy by 2041.Accordingly, Bangladesh's energy consumption...

OIC's quest for camaraderie: Key concerns facing the Muslim World

The 14th summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) took place in Makkah on May 31 - June 01, 2019. Heads of governments and states and delegates of 57 countries joined the conference. The theme of this year's conference was...

The US economy enjoys an unusual type of growth

There is a dirty little secret in economics today: the United States has benefited - and continues to benefit - from the global slump. The US economy is humming along, even while protesters in the United Kingdom hurl milkshakes at...

The 'developed' and 'developing' debate in the WTO

There are disagreements between developed and developing countries on many issues deliberated at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Many believe that such disagreements constitute the major obstacle to transform multilateral trade talks into positive, action oriented results. Lately, the disagreements...

Linde BD opens new merchant carbon-dioxide plant next month

Linde Bangladesh witnessed a steady growth in the revenue earnings and dividend disbursement, among others, in the last four consecutive years.Linde BD, a global market leader in gases and engineering solutions, also focused on expansion of its business in Bangladesh...

Believing beyond belief

When he was seven years old, he had Ewing's Sarcoma on his left femur which he could luckily overcome in Canada after a rigorous treatment at Sick Kids Hospital Toronto. He is now a doctor. Raphaël Nahar Rivière graduated from...

Sustaining the boom in the fisheries sector of the country

It has been reported by many newspapers that farmers in northern districts of Bangladesh are converting paddy fields, among others, into ponds to cultivate fish. The conversion of paddy fields is most likely fuelled by low prices of paddy. Nevertheless,...

Developing countries 100 years behind the West

Continuous declines in international education aid are depriving half of all young people in the developing world - some 800 million children - of the education they will need to secure meaningful employment in the future. Having fallen from $13.2...

May remittances hit record high as expats boost wire before Eid

The inflow of remittances reached US$1.75 billion in May ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr festival, highest ever the country received in a month, officials said.The remittance inflow was estimated at $1.75 billion in May, up by 321.72 million the month...

NBR to beef up capacity to detect tax evasion by MNCs

The revenue authority would soon impart training to its officials to build in-house capacity for proper enforcement of the transfer pricing law.The training will be on risk assessment and company profiling to help audit the tax returns of the multinational...

Low profile, weak cos dominate IPO market

Low profile and fundamentally weak companies dominated the primary market as 13 entities and one mutual fund raised Tk 5.71 billion through IPOs in the current fiscal year.The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) data shows 13 companies and one mutual find...

Staying away from air pollution: Save trees to breathe fresh

Every year world Environment Day promotes environmental awareness and sustainability. It highlights the importance of global environmental issues- including climate change, marine pollution and wildlife crime. This year's theme focuses on the blight of air pollution. Air pollution is a...

Railway ticket chaos: Failure in demand management

As like the previous year, this year also a large number of home-goers failed to purchase their desired train tickets on the eve of Eid-ul Fitr. This year railway authorities decided to sell 50 per cent of the total ticket...

Imports up 5.36pc in 10 months

Country's imports grew by 5.36 per cent in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 over that of the corresponding period of the last FY.The growth was mainly due to higher import of intermediate goods and...

Number of BO accounts on rise

Around 65,235 new BO accounts were opened in the past five months as investors were more confident in pouring funds into the primary market rather than the secondary one.Guaranteed profit through initial public offerings (IPOs) encouraged the investors to hit...

How prudent is the rice export move?

The government seems to be clueless about the course of action dealing with the 'bumper' production of Boro rice this year. It has reportedly decided to allow export of milled rice and the quantity may vary between 1.0 million and...

Govt to cut property registration cost

The government has decided to reduce a number of taxes and fees realised during property registration with a view to giving a much-needed fillip to the real estate sector.The fiscal concessions are to cover stamp duty, Value Added Tax (VAT),...

Amalgamation of companies: Public interest should be the deciding factor

In recent times with the expansion of business as well as commercial activities of large companies we have experienced a number of amalgamations or mergers and it is anticipated that in forthcoming years more schemes of amalgamation will be submitted...

Dhaka-Tokyo relations: From strength to strength

Japan was one of the first few nations to recognise independent Bangladesh on February 10, 1972. Ever since diplomatic relations began, there has been continual engagements and mutual collaboration between the two countries.The cooperation has been strong and active in...

Financialisation - the new avatar of finance

Over recent decades, the scope, size, concentration, power and even the purpose and role of finance have changed so significantly that a new term, financialisation, was coined to name this phenomenon. Financialisation refers to a process that has not only...

Accelerating specific reforms to avoid export shock after LDC graduation

If the export losses are not countered with timely measures, the estimated socioeconomic impact can be substantial. Simulation results show that the direct and multiplier effects of the export shock can cause an average GDP loss of 1 per cent...

Discount, cashback galore for cardholders, MFS clients

Mobile wallets and plastic cards have made a pool of customers to tap the benefits of cashless transactions this Eid with an array of discount offers on shopping.A lot of customers are taking new cards or opening new accounts on...

Stocks climb ahead of budget

Stocks closed higher in the last week ending on Thursday, with investors focusing on large-cap shares amid expectations that the market would maintain its uptrend after Eid holidays.Thursday was also the last trading day for both the bourses before the...

Govt to study prospects of producing APIs locally

Bangladesh will conduct a study to assess problems and prospects of producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) locally, officials have said.Sources said roughly 95 per cent of the Tk 50-billion worth of raw materials are imported, mainly from China, Korea and...