Demography in the driving seat

An important element of analysing livelihood system in any society is its demographic characteristics. A society might be poor in terms of endowments of natural resources but given appropriate policies and their proper implementations, a developed human resource base could...

Another \\\'routine\\\' mass shooting in US

This time it is Oregon. Another mass shooter carried out another mass killing and the gun laws are again under national focus in the United States. This time, 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer turned his weapons on students in a community...

Stocks slip into red with low turnover

Stocks ended lower on Wednesday, after remaining flat in the last two trading sessions, as investors went on selling spree following dismal export earnings data.  The market opened with mixed trends and fell steadily almost throughout the session. DSEX, the...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw downward trend in early hour of trading on Wednesday, after previous session’s flat movement. After the first 30 minutes of trading, DSEX, the prime index of the DSE,...

Cost-intensive yet short-lived highways

The average cost of construction of highways in Bangladesh, compared to that of many developed and developing countries, is unusually high, said a Bangla financial contemporary in its lead story Tuesday. Millions of commuters in Bangladesh, using the highways every...

IMF mission due Nov 04 to assess economic performance

Bangladesh is getting ready with all necessary performance data to face the upcoming International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article IV Consultation Mission on the country's existing economic situation, officials said. The IMF mission is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on November...

Govt to spend from 2nd Indian LoC as bid for grant ‘ignored’

The government moves to upgrade the Ashuganj-Akhaura transit road with funds from the 2nd Indian line of credit (LoC) as a bid for reconstructing it with a grant from the neighbouring country seems unheeded, sources said. They said the two-lane...

BSEC approves draft act on clearing and settlement company

The securities regulator has finalised the draft act aiming to establish a separate clearing settlement and company for both the bourses, officials said. The draft has incorporated a provision, among others, for   formation of an 11-member board for the proposed...

Obama, Xi charm each other: Pandas as diplomatic pawns

End of September, two significant official guests came to the USA on a state visit. One was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, and the other important official was Chinese President Xi Jinping. The latter's seven-day visit, however,...

The Syrian imbroglio: Why US,UK are angry at Russia

As the Russians have begun air strikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, a realisation has apparently dawned on a section of the US thinkers and policy makers that there is a need for both the US and Russia...

Restoring trust in capital market is answer

Capital market is generally considered the main financing source of businesses. Cost of industries comes down when finance is collected from capital market. On the other hand, industries set up with bank borrowings involve higher project costs and eventually higher...

The Volkswagen saga

Volkswagen, currently the world's biggest automaker, is in crisis over its rigging of diesel engine emissions tests in America and Europe. The damage to its goodwill is cataclysmic. About a quarter of the company's market value was wiped out in...

Stocks end flat with choppy trading

Stocks closed almost flat on Tuesday with turnover crossing Tk 4.0 billion-mark again as investors were active in both sides of the trading. The market opened with a positive note, but slowed down in later part of the session, eventually...

DSE, CSE open optimistic

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw upward trend in early hour of trading on Tuesday, the third trading session of the week. After first the 30 minutes of the day’s trading, DSEX, the prime...

NBFIs\\\' NPLs soar 52pc in H1

The volume of non-performing loans (NPLs) of the country's non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) shot up by nearly 52 per cent in the first half (H1) of the current calendar year, mainly due to poor recovery, officials said. The amount of...

GSP: So near, yet so far

The outcome of the recent visit to Dhaka by Assistant US Trade Representative Mr. Michael Delaney was a disappointment for the government, especially the ministry of commerce. Given the mood and direction of US policy, the outcome should not have...

Integrating informal sector into the formal economy

The informal sector or informal economy is a phenomenon which is an integral part of the economy as a whole. This sector is neither taxed, nor monitored by any government agency. Various activities that are engaged in the informal economy...

Cost and returns in agriculture

Costs and returns are important considerations in day-to- day in all fields including agriculture. This is because farmers all over the world are assumed to be rational - maximising profits and minimising costs. The general perception is that farmers in...

Stocks return to green

Stocks returned to green on Monday, a day after steep fall, as investors went on late hours buying on large cap stocks. The market opened with a downturn, maintaining the previous session’s negative note, but late hours buying on heavyweight...

Stocks stumble at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed negative trend in early hour of trading on Monday, maintaining the previous day’s downturn. After the first 30 minutes of trading, DSEX, the prime index of the DSE,...

Move to review progress on execution of decisions

The government has moved to review the progress on implementation of decisions taken during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June last, officials said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asked recently the ministries and departments concerned to...

Separate cell in NBR to compile data on capital flight

The revenue board is planning to form a separate income tax cell that would monitor the incidence of money laundering, compile data on capital flight and scrutinise the income of individuals holding dual citizenship. The cell will ensure exchange of...

Further fall in remittances feared as Q1 flow dismal

The flow of remittances wired by overseas Bangladeshis slightly fell in the first-quarter (Q1) of the current fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 against the same period of the last fiscal year, the central bank said. The inflow of remittance came down...

Security concerns and cricket

In its explanation for postponement of the tour of Bangladesh by the Australian cricket team due to begin early this month, the cricket authority there, Cricket Australia (CA), pointed out security concerns. Both the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and...

Tightrope walk for banks

Erosion in both lending and deposit rates of banks has been on for many months mainly because of poor demands for funds from the private sector. The average interest rate spread came down to below 5.0 per cent in March...

Global economy at sixes and sevens

Even at the present stage of globalization, the global economy is not a monolithic entity. In spite of integration through trade and capital flows (and to some extent movement of labour), it remains a conglomeration of national economies. Starting from...

Stocks, turnover decline on DSE

Stocks plunged on Sunday, the opening day of the week, with turnover dipping below Tk 4.0 billion-mark again as investors went on selling spree. The market opened slightly lower and the downturn continued as the session progressed. DSEX, the prime...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed downward trend in early hour of trading on Sunday with choppy trading, the first trading day of the week. After the first 30 minutes of the day’s trading,...

BB in a fix over taxing gains on Islamic bond

The central bank has sought revenue board's direction in resolving complexities over deduction of upfront tax on proceeds from Islamic bond, as the authorities are caught in a quandary in deciding the calculation methodology. Officials said the debt-management wing of...

Erdogan faces tough EU talks on refugees, Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets EU leaders Monday but they will find it hard to bridge gaps on the migrant crisis and the Syrian war that has produced so many of the refugees they must both deal with, analysts...