BB monitoring of investment by banks in share market intensified

The central bank has intensified its monitoring and supervision of investment in share market by the commercial banks aiming at avoiding any unwanted situation in future, officials said. "We've taken the issue as a top priority matter to minimise risks...

RMG buyers cancelling orders without assigning any reason

A good number of international ready-made garment (RMG) buyers have been cancelling their import orders at the eleventh hour without assigning any reason hitting hard the local RMG suppliers. For cancellation of the import orders country's RMG exporters counting losses...

BD to seek duty-free access of 21 products to Sri Lanka

Bangladesh will seek duty-free market access of 21 products including apparels, cement and leather goods to Sri Lanka under preferential trade agreement (PTA) as the joint working group of two countries is meeting in the capital today (Tuesday), sources said....

Online BIN from next year : Old, new businesses to come under it

The government is likely to introduce online Business Identification Number (BIN) for the businesses from January 2015 in a bid to bring them under automated taxation system. With the introduction of the system, both the existing businesses and the new...

Tanners seek $1.0b JICA loan for relocation to Savar

Tannery owners are trying to get $1.0 billion loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for meeting the cost of relocation from the city's Hazaribagh to Savar. Recently, they wrote a letter to the JICA for providing the financial assistance...

Govt examining telecom ministry proposal

The government is examining the proposal of the telecom ministry to halve the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call rate from the existing US$0.3 cents considering the negative impact on revenue earning from the sector. Sources said two issues are...

Commodity exchange a new priority to BSEC

The securities regulator is giving first priority to the introduction of commodity exchange and clearing corporation by relevant formulating rules and conducting required feasibility study, officials said. The necessity of introducing the commodity exchange and clearing corporation has become stronger...

Tapping the latent strength of agriculture

As European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos said, greater emphasis has to be given to two factors for modernising agriculture. These are innovation and youth. Young farmers naturally bring innovative and progressive ideas in line with the...

Problems faced by the shrimp industry

Research studies indicate that the shrimp industry is one of the most important contributors to economic development of the country. Foreign exchange earnings from frozen shrimp exports in 2009-2010 were US$ 400 million. The main cultured species is the tiger...

Impact of Aid for Trade

Aid for Trade (AFT) has been at work for quite some time in Bangladesh. It is an initiative of the World Trade Organistion (WTO) aimed at enhancing developing countries' capacity to promote trade. The assumption behind this is that there...

The middle class\\\'s missing $1.6 trillion

The United States was the world's first middle-class nation, which was a big factor in its rapid growth.  Mid-19th-century British travellers marvelled at American workers' "ductility of mind and the readiness…for a new thing" and admired how hard and willingly...

Good governance in banking sector: A myth?

Scarcely our banking sector had time to recover its equilibrium unsettled by the Hallmark scam when it was further undermined by the shuddering revelations of irregularities by the BASIC Bank. The bank's disbursement of loan worth of Tk 30 billion...

DSEX dips below 4,700 point-mark

The market ended lower for the third running session Monday with key index of the premier bourse dipped below 4,700 point-mark as investors went for selling spree amid cautious stance. The market opened with a positive note, but could not...

DSEX dips below 4,700 point-mark

The market ended lower for the third running session Monday with key index of the premier bourse dipped below 4,700 point-mark as investors went for selling spree amid cautious stance. The market opened with a positive note, but could not...

Stocks open positive amid volatility

The prices of most of the stocks on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE)  witnessed upward trend in early hours of trading Monday amid volatile trading. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE went up by 18.37...

Public universities to face fund crisis in Q4 of fiscal 2014

The country's public universities are likely to plunge in severe financial crisis during the final quarter of the current financial year as the government has declined to make available any additional fund as requested by the University Grants Commission (UGC),...

BB seeks MoF nod to give banks waiver on forming subsidiary cos

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has sought permission from the ministry of finance (MoF) to give the local banks a waiver on setting up separate subsidiary companies for carrying out securities custodial business, sources said. Earlier, the BB gave such a...

Backlash from climate is inevitable

A great civilisation flourished on the Indus-Saraswati basin 3,500 years before the birth of Christ. The Indus civilisation at Mohenjodaro and Harappa reached great height in terms of architecture, defence, water supply and sewerage systems. According to one theory, climate...

Of \\\'gas anarchy\\\' and state of governance

Illegal connections and pilferage are endemic in the public sector utility services such as gas, electricity and water. In most cases, an unscrupulous section of officials and employees is always found to be involved in all the mischievous acts of...

Consumer credits, lower growth and higher inflation

Dr. Abul Basher in an article published in the FE, February 03, rightly expressed his concern that the Bangladesh Bank's effort to keep the inflation rate at the target level will prove very much challenging. He suggested that to bring...

Yellen looks toward a Keynesian approach

This has been a banner week for the world economy, inspired largely by events in the United States. In Washington, the first congressional testimony from Janet Yellen in her position as new Federal Reserve Board chairwoman on February 11 reassured...

The contemplated power tariff hike

Within one month of assuming power for the third time, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has initiated the process of raising power tariff. During her previous tenure as prime minister, the power tariff was raised six times, the...

DSE turnover dips below Tk 4b mark

Stocks went down Sunday with turnover on the premier bourse dipped below Tk 4.0 billion-mark as investors went for selling spree amid cautious stance. The market opened with a positive note, but could not sustain. At the end of the...

Positive trend

Share prices on the both bourses – Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) – witnessed upward trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the opening day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE,...

Is it the ‘death of a dream’ for the pro-people Indian political party?

The leader of a new political party that caused a great deal of sensation by taking a pro-people stance, has resigned as the chief minister of Delhi, failing to fulfil his electoral pledge. Arvind Kejriwal lasted for only 49 days...

Moving out of rented space remains a major problem

The readymade garment (RMG) owners are finding it difficult to shift their factories from buildings they are sharing with others mainly due to scarcity of industrial land and its high price, industry insiders said. Shifting garment factories from shared buildings...

Curbing formalin use in food

A report on mixing formalin in ice for preserving fish, published in some newspapers last week, has surprised consumers. It is known to all that widespread application of formalin in fresh fruits, vegetables, fishes, liquid milk and a variety of...

Most pvt medical colleges not following govt rules

The standard of education at private medical colleges has come into question, as most of the institutions are not following the government rules properly. As per the related rule of the government, every college must have a 250-bed general hospital....

Why performance of mutual funds is poor

What are the possible reasons behind the poor performance of our mutual fund (MF) industry? Why are the MFs being less attractive with 41 closed end mutual funds? Why is a sophisticated industry in developed and emerging countries still in...

On wisdom of taking USA lightly

One must wonder whether between former US ambassador to Bangladesh Patricia Butenis and the present ambassador Dan Mozena, the United States of America has slipped from being a superpower to one that Bangladesh could ignore at will. In 2006, Patricia...