The stock market index slid down 134 points yesterday, the steepest in a span of over two months to reach less than 6,500.

The government should increase per capita allowance under its social safety net programmes (SSNPs), particularly for the elderly, widows, disabled and marginalised women, considering the high-level food inflation and the rising cost of living, said an economist.

Tea growers of Panchagarh yesterday staged a demonstration at Sher-e-Bangla intersection of the Panchagarh-Dhaka highway, demanding a fair price for raw tea leaves in the ongoing harvesting season.

The taka yesterday lost 0.91 per cent in value against US dollars, the sharpest single-day fall in the past one decade, amid the falling supply of the American greenback against surging demand to settle import bills.

Rumee A Hossain has been re-elected as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Bank Asia Ltd at the bank’s 473rd board of directors meeting held recently.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi yesterday directed Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) to fast turn the commodity exchange operational.

A recent drive by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) was not aimed at harassing edible oil traders, rather it was about finding out why the key cooking ingredient has seemingly disappeared from local markets, according to Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.

Jamuna Bank promoted its Deputy Managing Director Md Abdus Salam to the post of additional managing director in May, according to a press release.

Paramount Textile Ltd will invest around $85.45 million for enhancing its production capacity.

The index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) slid 134 points today, pushing down the index under the 6,500-mark, the steepest single-day fall within more than two months.

The Bangladeshi taka today faced a steep devaluation against the US dollar as the soaring import payments have created an acute shortage of the greenback in the banking sector.

After government officials, employees of autonomous, state-owned, semi-government organisations and state-owned banks and financial institutions cannot go on overseas trips.

Nearly 8 lakh migrant workers went abroad in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, comfortably exceeding the numbers a year ago, a development that bodes well for Bangladesh as it could pave the way for higher remittance earnings.

Prices of paddy, particularly the finer varieties, are on the rise in the producing regions in Bangladesh amid worries of crop damages and lower yield inflicted by the recent flash floods in the haor districts and cyclone Ashani-induced rainfalls.

Profits of listed fuel and power generation companies altogether dropped in the January-March period of the current financial year of 2021-22 due to some power plants shutting down, an increase in the price of raw materials and a decrease in investment income.

While official data portrays the burgeoning growth of Bangladesh’s economy, tax collection relative to the gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the size of the economy, shows an almost opposite trend.

The government’s a2i programme is set to become a full-fledged agency, entering the software and digital innovations industry as a government-subsidised player, but creating uncertainty for local tech companies.

Pragmatism was the order of the day when the finance division sat down to draft the development budget for fiscal 2021-22.

The focus of the national budget for fiscal year 2022-23 should be to ensure macroeconomic stability, reduce inflation and increase employment in the country, according to various experts.

Bangladesh should focus on increasing the cultivation of certain varieties of sea bass, such as Koral and Vetki, in order to expand the country’s export basket, according to experts.