Zahid Hussain

The average US tariff surged from 2.5 percent to 20 percent with a single executive action

The golden rule of crony capitalism, in which profits are private but losses are social, has led to blatant injustice, as is generally recognised. The extra-market connections of crony capitalists facilitated transactional benefits while leading to entrenched market power, distorted competition, and depressed productivity growth, all contributing to growing inequalities. Yet, attempts to change the crony business model are facing their own dilemmas.

The golden rule of crony capitalism, in which profits are private but losses are social, has led to blatant injustice, as is generally recognised.

The Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a series of banking reforms with quiet determination. Most recently, it has tightened regulations regarding dividend payouts by scheduled banks, exemplifying the strategy of seizing low-hanging fruit in the pursuit of structural reforms.

The Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a series of banking reforms with quiet determination. Most recently, it has tightened regulations regarding dividend payouts by scheduled banks, exemplifying the strategy of seizing low-hanging fruit in the pursuit of structural reforms.

Navigating the labyrinth of macroeconomic management is particularly challenging during periods of interim leadership.

Navigating the labyrinth of macroeconomic management is particularly challenging during periods of interim leadership.

This objective is challenging but achievable, particularly if supply-side inflation pressures are mitigated.

Inflation refuses to budge. Part of the reason may be honest disclosure of what the data is saying.

By bringing down a despotic leviathan, the anti-discrimination student movement has earned the moral authority to be spokespersons for the whole nation

The crackdown on the nonviolent uprise of the students and the subsequent one thing leading to another chain of events locked down the economy, only figuratively reminiscent of the pandemic in 2020

In their Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) for the first half of FY25, Bangladesh Bank (BB) has stuck to the policy stance already in place. 

Let’s begin with the central question to gauge what more this MPS could have done to increase the potency of monetary policy in restoring macro-financial stability. 

Bangladesh Bank’s latest data on the balance of payments has remarkably altered the narrative on the drivers of external stress without changing the signal on the overall stress.

Bangladesh Bank's latest data on the balance of payments has remarkably altered the narrative on the drivers of external stress without changing the signal on the overall stress. The bottom line on persistent external imbalance remains pretty much the same but the composition is palpably different

The macroeconomic imperative was to tighten the budget, particularly the domestic financing component of the budget deficit.

The economy has been in a rough patch since 2022 like never before in the past decade and a half

We are hubristically living through our ecological implosion.

The spike in inflation from 9.41 percent in December to 9.86 percent in January was driven entirely by the rise in non-food inflation.

Bangladesh has delivered decent economic growth relative to the rest of the globe braving the coronavirus pandemic, supply chain disruptions, successive wars and macroeconomic stress. However, labour market recovery since the pandemic has been anemic. There are lingering concerns about growth lacking the shine of good jobs.