Ahsan Habib

Share prices rallied for a third consecutive session yesterday, with the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) registering a 5.44 percent spike, the highest jump in four and a half years.

Bangladesh has no time to spare when it comes to ensuring the stability of the economy, which has fallen into a crisis mainly due to the absence of democracy for over a decade.

The recent internet blackout for a week has left a big dent on the image of the country among the international community, especially investors and buyers.

Banks listed in the stock market logged Tk 2,700 crore higher interest income in the first half of this calendar year as lending rates rose after Bangladesh Bank eased its grip on the sector.

Most listed multinational companies in Bangladesh witnessed lower profits in the April-June quarter this year as sales dropped due to the erosion of people’s purchasing power amid runaway inflation.

Violence comes with a hefty price tag for the economy. Beyond the immediate death toll mostly in police shootings, the convulsion of violence that gripped Bangladesh in the middle of this month has left a debilitating impact on the economy.

Business and industrial activities resumed yesterday amid a semblance of normalcy after a spasm of violence, internet outage and a curfew that left deep wounds in almost all corners of the economy.

A huge number of industrial establishments have been built along the highway, hoping to capitalise on the connectivity to the country’s largest seaport in Chattogram

The countrywide shutdown and subsequent violence centring the quota reform movement crippled business and economic activities for the last three days, dealing a further blow to an economy that is already ailing due to high inflation, falling exports and depleting forex reserves.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) did not punish several investors although they were found to have breached rules by committing abnormal trades, according to an audit.

The government has published rules stating where and how pension funds will be invested so that the National Pension Authority (NPA) can produce better returns at lower risks, a move that will ease its repayment burden.

The unit will work under the Finance Division

The government is going to amend the Bangladesh Bank Order, 1972 to align it with global best practices and give the central bank more autonomy so that it can initiate steps to help the economy deal with pressure.

Accurate data is a crucial input for taking effective policies and putting the economy on the right track. If the data is not correct or time-befitting, policies might be proved wrong. Then, development successes will be only on paper and will not reflect reality.

Accurate data is a crucial input for taking effective policies and putting the economy on the right track. If the data is not correct or time-befitting, policies might be proved wrong. Then, development successes will be only on paper and will not reflect reality..In Bangladesh, economists

The number of users of the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s (DSE) mobile app has more than halved in the past four financial years, apparently due to a protracted bearish trend in the market.

You can lie with data or illuminate the truth with data. And there’s something in between -- half-truths.

A pension scheme in which the employee and employer make equal contributions is welcome in this economy, but it has to apply to all, be they public university teachers, bureaucrats or other government employees, economists say.

For stock investors in Bangladesh, the just-concluded fiscal year was the worst in four years, with the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange losing over 1,000 points.

Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC has become the largest lender in the country by total deposits for the first time, surpassing Sonali Bank PLC, despite loan scams in recent years.