Indices up, turnover down on DSE

All the market barometers of DSE marked rise though the turnover declined Monday. DSEX, the prime index of DSE rose by 24.19 points though the turnover declined to Tk 3.19 billion. DSEX rose to 4477.56 points, DS-30 1730.87 points and...

BD, Bhutan, India, Nepal ink BBIN pact

The much-awaited Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) motor vehicle agreement has been signed in Thimphu on Monday. Bangladesh’s Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, India’s Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and the transport ministers of Bhutan and Nepal inked the deal in the...

DSE, CSE soar at opening

The country’s twin bourse – Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) –marginally rose on Monday after a  significant fall in previous session. DSEX, the benchmark index of the DSE, went up by 3.12 points or 0.07 per...

Realtors for inclusion of tax officials in realising money

Realtors have urged the government to include tax officials to realise tax at source on the amount of land development signing money as proposed in the budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16. The government in the proposed budget for...

Govt considers ‘special’ facilities to stop Samsung departure

The government is considering offering a set of 'special' sweeteners to the South Korean technology giant Samsung as it wants the company to stay in Bangladesh, officials said. An increased limit for international financial transaction and providing cheaper office space ...

New salary structure proposal for BSEC bosses hangs in the balance

Proposal of a new salary structure for the chairman and commissioners of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) hangs in balance due to lack of required approval from the ministry of finance (MoF), officials said. The Bank and Financial...

Spectre of deflation haunts central bankers

THE DEFLATION FEAR: Finally, a big factor persuading authorities in industrial countries to push for higher growth is the fear of deflation. The canonical example here is Japan, where many are persuaded that the key mistake it made was to...

Why not digitised medical prescription?

The Indian government has decided to issue an instruction for that country's physicians to write the names of prescribed medicines in capital letters. This is in response to complaints made by different quarters for long against illegibly written medical prescriptions...

Rising cost of treatment and indifference

The size of the national budget has grown over time and the one for the next financial year (2015-16) is expected to be worth nearly Tk 3.0 trillion. However, the Bangladesh's budgetary expenditure on health is still smaller compared to...

SEZs to spur industrialisation

A new hope for accelerated industrialisation along with concomitant new investments as well as rise in exports and employment has been generated in Bangladesh in recent times due to some pragmatic initiatives taken by the government. These include establishment of...

DSE turnover declines to Tk 3.5 billion

With absence of any speculative motive ahead in the short horizon and economy still gathering strength, investors Sunday anticipated a down trend and tried to get out of the market. The action made the down beat expectation a self-fulfilling prophecy,...

DSE turnover declines to Tk 3.5b

ACU plans to boost intra-forum trade

The nine-nation Asian Clearing Union (ACU) plans to boost intra-forum trade through taking on board new members, particularly from among the CIS republics in Central Asia. "We'll take initiatives to increase intra-ACU trade shortly," Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiur...

Engaging returnees in farm value chain planned

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is likely to launch a programme designed to facilitate investment of remittances in agricultural value chain in Bangladesh. "Bangladesh is likely to be a pilot country in the IFAD remittance programme," said Hoonae...

Why irregular migration on the rise

As the market for jobseekers at home and abroad through legal channels has shrunk, the tendency of searching for jobs overseas through irregular channels is increasing day by day. This partly explains the growing humanitarian crisis that has forced thousands...

Growth is essential for social harmony

There are few areas of robust growth around the world, with the IMF repeatedly reducing its growth forecasts in recent quarters. This period of slow growth is particularly dangerous because both industrial countries and emerging markets need high growth to...

Budget: Making choices regarding distribution of tax burden

The supplimentary budget for the FY 2014-15 and proposed budget for FY 2015-16 have been placed before Parliament last week. According to the rules and procedures, the supplimentary budget will be cleared within a week after it is placed and...

Committee picks route for Dhaka-Ctg expressway

A route along the existing Dhaka-Chittagong highway has been selected for constructing the expressway under the public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement to enhance the road capacity in the country's main economic corridor. Officials said the around 217km long route would be...

Gratuity funds, payments lack defined, uniform rules

The country still lacks well-defined and uniform rules and regulation to deal with the gratuity issue.   The issue of gratuity fund still remains as mostly an unregulated area to guide the corporate sector and other entities for following a uniform...

SBC warned as Tk 4.0b premiums lie in arrears

The insurance regulator has warned the state-run agency SBC against non-compliance with the related provisions in realisation of outstanding re-insurance premiums to the tune of Tk 4.0 billion (400 crore), sources have said. The regulator has also directed the Sadharan...

Poor turnout of visitors frustrates participants

The four-day REHAB Summer Fair- 2015 ended on Friday with poor sales due to multifarious reasons including heavy rainfall, participants said. Inadequate publicity and wrong fixation of fair dates were also blamed for the poor transactions. The number of visitors...

Stocks break five-week winning streak

Stocks closed lower last week that ended Thursday, breaking five consecutive weeks of upbeat movement despite offering of some incentives for the capital market in the proposed budget. It was the first week after announcement of the budget proposed for...

Quiet flows capital despite anti-money laundering laws

General perception regarding capital flight is that capital flies by way of under-invoicing of exports and over-invoicing of imports. It is what one learns from the book on elementary economics. These were true in the old days of rigid exchange...

Bangla-Indo economic cooperation enters a crucial phase

It was 20 years ago when two leading think tanks of Bangladesh and India first organised a dialogue on Bangladesh-India trade and economic cooperation. Known as 'track two initiative', the dialogue presented a long list of proposals and suggestions to...

Educating teachers in Bangladesh: Current issues and future perspectives

Teacher education plays a very significance role in developing the total education system.  With the increase in sources of information and the rapid access to information teachers have to cope with the current world both for themselves and their students....

Encouraging criminality through condonation

A minibus turned turtle. And it did at a very busy spot of a busy road. Kawran Bazaar is the venue of this dramatic achievement by two competing drivers --just two members of a highly accomplished breed of men who,...

Correspondent banking: The challenges and opportunities

Payment settlement is the end result of any transaction. It is simple when the transaction is dealt with within the same jurisdiction. But if it happens beyond the jurisdiction, the necessity of correspondent banking comes to the fore. Correspondent banking...

Let\\\'s build skilled workforce to replace foreign workers

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith while presenting the 2015-16 budget on June 04, 2015 said many foreigners are employed in our local industrial establishments. A section of them is illegal. He sounded a note of warning and said the...

Smart use of smartphone

Smartphone was considered a luxury item which only a few could afford earlier but now it is a necessity. People view their smartphones as an extension of themselves, taking them everywhere they go?--?even the most unorthodox places?--?from shower to showbiz,...

$1.0b ITFC loan for BPC to import fuel

The government has taken a loan support worth $1.0 billion (100 crore) from the ITFC (International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation) in favour of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for the current calendar year to import different fuel oils. The state...