The arithmetic of govt borrowing

The government, an entity constituted through the expressed will of the people or otherwise, is required to keep the state afloat, in financial terms. It has to manage funds to meet its recurring expenses and finance development activities. Barring the...

EDF for exporters raised by 25pc

Allocation to the export development fund (EDF) has been raised by 25 per cent to US$1.5 billion to meet a growing demand from the exporters, who largely help the current surge in the country's foreign-exchange reserves. The central bank has...

Fees hover around Tk 19,000 instead of Tk 5,000

Authorities of some top colleges in the capital are charging excessive fees from the admission seekers, defying the government's directives, students and guardians alleged. They said some colleges in the metropolitan areas have hung notices seeking admission fees much higher...

Stock markets and economic growth performance

The recent developments in the stock markets of Bangladesh have given rise to considerable divergence of views about its role in economic development, more specifically economic growth, of the country. Some policy makers have termed the market as "wicked" and...

Indian Foreign Minister comes calling

The new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose neighbouring Bhutan for his first foreign trip (June 15-16). And his external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has chosen Bangladesh as the first destination of her bilateral visit. She arrives in Dhaka today...

BTCL to bank on 4G for survival

The state-run telecom operator BTCL is shifting its focus from landlines to wireless data service for survival, officials have said. To this effect, the company has applied to the telecom regulator seeking allocation of spectrum before setting up a network...

India nuke enrichment plant expansion operational in 2015, says IHS

India is expanding a covert uranium enrichment plant that could potentially support the development of thermonuclear weapons, a defense research group said last week, raising the stakes in a regional arms race with China and Pakistan. The revelation highlights the...

Fighting strains Ukraine ceasefire, Putin urges dialogue

Fighting flared between Ukrainian and pro-Moscow separatist forces, both sides reported this week, further straining a unilateral ceasefire declared by Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin pressed Kiev to talk to the rebels. Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, at...

Stocks close higher for second day

Stocks closed higher for the second running session on Tuesday with participation declined slightly as investors remained cautious. The market saw a mixed trend in the first 30 minutes. But, rest of the session it gained amid modest volatility as...

DSE up, CSE down at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw marginal gains while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed negative trend in early hours of trading on Tuesday, the third trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up...

Independent consultants, experts yet to be appointed

The government is yet to appoint independent consultants and experts as per requirement of the Padma Bridge project though work on all components of the project has already begun, sources said. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), executing agency of the...

Tax benefit on dividend declaration set to continue

The government is set to continue tax benefit on dividend declaration for the publicly listed companies in the upcoming fiscal year (FY), sources concerned said. In the Finance Bill-2014, the government proposed to scrap existing tax rebate at a rate...

BB withdraws excess liquidity from market with higher CRR

The central bank raised the cash reserve requirement (CRR) by 50 basis points to 6.50 per cent for the commercial banks. The move is aimed at reducing inflationary pressure on the economy by way of withdrawing excess liquidity from the...

It\\\'s for BBS to end GDP controversy

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has questioned the country's economic growth estimates prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for the outgoing fiscal year. According to the CPD, gross domestic product (GDP) cannot grow at so high rate...

The President\\\'s meeting with the UN Secretary-General

The initial news of the meeting of the President of Bangladesh with the UN Secretary General in the Bangladesh media emanated from official Bangladesh sources, from aides of the President accompanying him and/or the Bangladesh Mission in New York. It...

World Cup 2014 and soccer prowess

"Bangladeshi players can't hit big sixes regularly as most of them have grown up eating only ‘khichudi’ and no orange juice!" After that remark from the country's leading all-rounder, this writer was thinking for some time if there is any...

Slot shortage may hamper hajj flights

Uncertainty looms large over carrying Hajj pilgrims by Biman Bangladesh Airlines as the national flag carrier has yet to manage the necessary number of slots, which determine timings for arrival and departure of flights, from the Saudi Arabian authorities. About...

150pc hike in toiletries\\\' prices in 5 years

The prices of almost all types of toiletries, specially detergent powder have increased many folds in the last five years, affecting the common people gravely, trading sources said. According to traders, prices of detergent powder almost tripled and other toiletries...

Labour-short Japan expanding foreign trainee programme

Japan is both ageing and shrinking as it tries to emerge from two decades of economic stagnation. The construction workforce is a prime example. It has contracted by a third since its peak in 1997 and is set to continue...

Stocks return to green

Stocks returned to the green on Monday after four session's bearish trend amid increased participation of investors in lucrative stocks. The trading started with a positive note in the morning, which continued throughout the session as investors bet mainly on...

Stocks positive at opening

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw upward trend in early hours of trading on Monday, the second trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the...

Dhaka conditionally accepts Chinese proposal on tariff preference change

Bangladesh has decided to conditionally accept a Chinese proposal to replace the tariff preferences that the latter offers under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) with zero tariff facility granted under the multilateral trade deal reached under the auspices of WTO,...

Pvt investments\\\' share in GDP sees downtrend

Private investments in terms of the share of gross domestic product (GDP) slowed down over the last three fiscal years (FY) amid the fear about its impact on employment and money flow. According to the official statistics, the share of...

MasterCard vows to expand business in Bangladesh

Global payment technology giant MasterCard has vowed to shortly expand its business in a big way in Bangladesh to tap its vast potential as the market is poised to take off into a cashless payment revolution. "With setting up of...

For widows to step out of the shadows

The word 'widow' brings to the canvas of our mind an affrighted similitude of a lady with a saddened face, wearing a grayish brown sari, perhaps the only sari she owns. The elongated holes are visible in her earlobes that...

In praise of \\\'gamchha\\\'

A famous folk song,"O iccha kare parandare gamchha dia bandhi" (How I wished I could tie up my soul with gamchha!) has immortalised the indigenous version of towel. While towel is thick and heavier, gamchha/gamuchha/ gamochha is a thin and...

Of fat Swiss bank accounts, graft and political instability

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is deeply frustrated by the current state of investment in the private sector. In fact, an investment-drought has gripped the economy in recent years. In such a situation, anyone holding the portfolio of the ministry of...

Stocks edge lower amid dull trading

The market edged marginally lower on Sunday with turnover dropped further as investors remained reluctant to make fresh investments amid shaky sentiment. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange ended at 4,322.26, shedding 6.14 points or 0.14 per...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw negative trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the first trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the...

Upcoming visit of new Indian external affairs minister to Dhaka arouses enormous interest

The upcoming visit of India's new external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Bangladesh will be of a 'goodwill' gesture in nature. But substantial discussions will take place between the two sides on a variety of issues ranging from bilateral matters...