Only a slight rise in the policy rate, which is the rate at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks, may not tame inflationary pressure in Bangladesh as there are many reasons for elevated price levels, economists said yesterday.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) is going to bring reforms to the banking sector after getting the go-ahead from the new government, and the banking regulator asked senior executives to prepare for those reforms at a meeting yesterday.

Businesses are likely to see their borrowing cost rise further thanks to an increase in interest rates, according to an outlook unveiled yesterday.

The economy is going through a crisis as evidenced by the deterioration in all economic indicators. Prof Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, chairman of the development studies department at the University of Dhaka, talks about the steps that were missing as inflation surged and what needs to be done now to bring the situation under control, in an interview

Advanced Chemical Industries (ACI), a leading conglomerate in Bangladesh, had plunged into losses during the October-December period of the current fiscal year (FY) mainly due to higher finance costs.

Bangladesh’s power purchase from Adani Power contributed to the massive profit the Indian conglomerate made in the first nine months of the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN), the biggest economic zone in Bangladesh, is set to be a gamechanger for the country’s trade as its strategic location offers easy access to domestic and international markets.

Imports of capital machinery edged up in the first six months of the fiscal year (FY) 2023-24, reversing the downturn that persisted for nearly one and half year as political uncertainty ebbs and exporters expect increased orders from western buyers.

The Bangladesh Bank is injecting fresh funds into the economy despite adopting a contractionary monetary policy, a contradictory move that may make it harder to tame stubborn inflation.

Textile millers yesterday demanded that the government re-fix gas prices at the previous rate as they have been unable to run their industrial units due to low pressure of gas despite the rates being doubled since February 2022.

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.

The new monetary policy will not be enough to help Bangladesh rein in higher inflation as the central bank has come up with inadequate measures against huge expectations, economists and experts said yesterday.

Although the key index for measuring share price performance in the stock market of Bangladesh fell to an 18-month low yesterday, some poor-performing companies saw their share values soar on the back of rumour-based trading.

Danish fruit drinks firm CO-RO A/S is going to launch its new brand in Bangladesh to enhance their global footprint and grab a slice of the country’s market.

There is no single and straight answer to this question. The causes of failure are multiple and complex. We shall try to analyse some of them and see if we can arrive at a rational outcome.

The ongoing decline of share values in the stock market of Bangladesh was expected as the removal of floor prices has allowed them to adjust to their real levels, according to market analysts.

Although there are only about 17 days to go before the biting cold all over the country makes way for the warm embrace of spring, customers are flocking to outlets of local clothing brands in a rush to secure the best winter clothes.

Although private telecom operators excelled in expanding their subscriber base in 2023, state-run Teletalk saw its market share shrink to just 3.38 percent that year.

Both the government and banks are facing a tight liquidity situation, which has pushed up the yield of treasury bills and bonds and the lending rate in the banking sector

International clothing retailers and brands are still choosing seaways, instead of air, to carry goods from Bangladesh to Europe although the rerouting of ships away from the Red Sea has increased the freight charge by more than 30 percent and added 15 days to the sailing time.