FDI jumps in Q1

Inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country has increased by around 36 per cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year ((FY16). Statistics released by Bangladesh Bank (BB) revealed net inflow of FDI stood at $449...

Stocks break six-day losing spell

Stocks rebounded on Thursday, snapping the six consecutive days of losing spell as optimistic investors went on a buying spree on lucrative issues. The market opened on a higher note and continued until the end of the session. DSEX, the...

DSE, CSE open higher

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw upward trend in early hour of trading on Thursday, the last trading session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by 35.93 points or...

Tk 750m sought to keep river channel navigable

Aiming at smooth plying of vessels through Mongla-Ghasiakhali river channel, the ministry of shipping (MoS) has sought special allocation of Tk 750 million to carry out dredging throughout the current fiscal year, officials have said. The special allocation has been...

Non-availability of Indian raw materials hits rail bridge project

Construction of second Bhairab and second Titas rail bridge project could not make the required headway after almost two years of works as raw materials are not available in India. The terms of the Indian line of credit (LoC) included...

Trade in ancient and medieval Bengal

Banijye Basati Laxmi (business brings fortune) is an adage coined in the unknown ancient times. Many other adages on a myriad variety of subjects are heard in rural Bengal as proverbial sayings of a lady "Khana". These came to be...

Central banks pursue selective policies

The Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve are often seen as lacking in 'sectoral' policy during their early years. While these central banks were not as closely connected with 'industry' as central banks in the continent were, their...

Intolerance, fear and insecurity shadow Bangladesh and India

Out of intense love for his fellow citizens, in 1884, at the age of 22, Rabindranath Tagore composed the song Borisho dhora majhe shantiro bari….Keno e hingshadesh, keno e choddobesh, keno e maan obhimaan/Bitoro bitoro prem pashano hridoye/Joyo joyo hok...

Trade in ancient and medieval Bengal

Banijye Basati Laxmi (business brings fortune) is an adage coined in the unknown ancient times. Many other adages on a myriad variety of subjects are heard in rural Bengal as proverbial sayings of a lady "Khana". These came to be...

Central banks pursue selective policies

The Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve are often seen as lacking in 'sectoral' policy during their early years. While these central banks were not as closely connected with 'industry' as central banks in the continent were, their...

Bangladesh sweep clean

Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe 61 runs in the third and final one-day international (ODI) crickets to sweep the three-match series 3-0 in Dhaka on Wednesday. Brief scores: Nov 11, 2015 - 3rd ODI at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur (day/night); Bangladesh...

Stocks see downturn with volatility

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw downward trend in early hour of trading on Wednesday, the fourth session of the week. The prime index of the DSE –DSEX, went down by 7.20 points or 0.16 per...

The battle over VAT

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on October 27 last had expressed his deep dissatisfaction over the substantial shortfall, nearly Tk.58 billion, in tax revenue collection during the first quarter of the current fiscal year (FY), 2015-16. He had reasons to be...

BB changes stance on reverse REPO use

The inter-bank call money rate dropped to as low as 2.50 per cent on Tuesday after more than five years as the central bank further squeezed its reverse REPO (repurchase agreement) acceptance level, bankers said. The call rate ranged between...

Poor revenue earnings, export growth, investment issues top agenda

Less-than-expected levels of revenue earnings, slow export growth and sluggish investment trend will be high on the agenda as a high-powered committee sits today (Wednesday) to review the country's macroeconomic situation, officials said.   The Coordination Council - an official review...

Modern central bank has evolved step by step

Establishment of central banks, in many cases, is the actual outcome of the politicians' acts which are quite different from their intentions. Most politicians in the 18th and 19th centuries did not plan to establish a central bank at all....

A powerful message for child beaters and molesters

A Bangladesh court on November 08, 2015 handed four men death sentence over the brutal killing of a 13-year-old boy that provoked national outrage after video footage of the attack went viral. Another two men were ordered to hang for...

Stocks edge lower with high volatility

Stocks edged lower Tuesday, extending the losing streak for the five straight sessions with dipping below Tk3.0 billion again as investors remained cautious amid weak sentiment. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went down further by...

DSE down, CSE up at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw downward trend while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw the positive mood in early hour of trading on Tuesday, the third session of the week. The prime index of the DSE –DSEX, went down...

Trade with China crosses $9b

Bangladesh's annual bilateral trade with China crossed $9.0 billion (900 crore) mark for the first time in the last fiscal year (FY15). At the same time the trade gap with the country also surged while that with India declined. The...

Dhaka decides to protest Delhi\\\'s anti-dumping investigation

Dhaka has decided to protest the New Delhi's action relating to allegation of dumping jute goods and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by Bangladesh, officials have said. Bangladesh feels that India has violated the SAFTA rules by initiating investigation into the allegation...

Water and woes in the north-west

For obvious reasons, groundwater availability and thus access to irrigation in dry season have much to do with production of high-yielding variety (HYV) of rice in winter season. The HYV has bid a farewell to low-yielding traditional varieties. Irrigation, particularly...

Ascending the ladder of growth

According to the World Bank statistics, Bangladesh is  now a lower middle-income country with a per capita annual income of US$1,080. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), however, puts it at US$1,314. Naturally our immediate next target is to become a...

Will a single-digit lending rate spur investment?

The Awami League-led government has initiated yet another drive to a single-digit lending rate in 2015 after six years of its similar endeavour. The then minister for industry, Dilip Barua, talked a lot about interest sensibility on investment in 2010...

Europe\\\'s last straw ?

The European Union (EU) is facing a truly terrifying array of crises. After prolonged euro and sovereign-debt crises polarized and radicalized the continent, creating a deep north-south rift, the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees has pitted east (plus...

‘Raise number of CNG autos to 50,000 to end fare chaos’

Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) has urged the government to implement CNG Auto Rickshaw Service Rules 2007, increase the number of autos from present 13,000 to 50,000, and take specific actions against hike of daily deposit by of auto-owners....

Stocks extend losing spell for four-session

Stocks fell for the four consecutive sessions Monday with turnover remaining sluggish as investors continued on selling mood amid weak sentiment. The market was positive for a brief period at opening and rest of the session declined steadily. DSEX, the...

Stocks down at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw downward trend in early hour of trading on Monday, the second session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by 8.16 points or 0.18...

Tk 140.5b default loans to be restructured

The central bank has so far cleared proposals of 10 business groups for restructuring their large loans worth Tk 140.48 billion, according to sources. A total of 22 commercial banks had earlier submitted the proposals to the Bangladesh Bank (BB),...

DTCA okays Rajuk flyover project defying its own city transport plan

The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) approved a flyover project of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) defying its own city transport plan that is supposed to be followed over the next 20 years. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader announced...