H&M's sales in the fourth quarter to Nov. 30 were 62.19 billion Swedish crowns ($5.65 billion), up 3 percent in local currencies

The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp saw its net income soar 59 percent to $62.36 billion for the full year, while fourth-quarter profits jumped 49 percent to $20.84 billion.

The report comes after Chinese startup DeepSeek sparked panic this week with a powerful new chatbot developed at a fraction of the cost of its US competitors, dealing a blow to markets.

The Indian rupee weakened on Wednesday on the back of strong dollar bids related to importers’ month-end payments, while a decline in the cost of hedging against the currency’s decline added to the persistent headwinds troubling the currency.

Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence model that it claimed surpassed the highly-acclaimed DeepSeek-V3.

The existing automatic pricing formula does not reflect global markets, the think-tank says

Two major companies from the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Ports Group and Masdar, have unveiled plans to invest in Bangladesh’s port development, management, and logistics, as well as the renewable energy sector.

US chip-maker Nvidia led a rout in tech stocks Monday after the emergence of a low-cost Chinese generative AI model that could threaten American dominance in the fast-growing industry.

Fears of upheaval in the AI gold rush rocked Wall Street on Monday following the emergence of a popular ChatGPT-like model from China, with US President Donald Trump saying it was a “wake-up call” for Silicon Valley.

DeepSeek has triggered a dramatic rethink on artificial intelligence spending around the world, except perhaps in China. The startup’s impressive low-cost model showcases the country’s innovation prowess.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok, while the app’s future in the country faces uncertainty.

Shares in Nvidia, whose semiconductors power the AI industry, fell nearly 17 percent on Wall Street, erasing nearly $600 billion of its market value.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed yesterday said that increasing the efficiency of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is essential for the growth of trade and commerce in the country.

Higher US tariffs under President Donald Trump could accelerate a slump in the value of China’s currency, complicating recent efforts by Beijing to kickstart a rebound in its struggling economy, analysts warn.

Four associations, including BGMEA, sent joint letter to the power adviser

Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate who is leading Bangladesh’s government after protests forced out the previous prime minister, told Reuters Breakingviews that the upheaval in his country demonstrated the dangers of sycophantically praising politicians who pursue headline GDP growth without much thought about the consequences.

Policymakers have battled to reverse a post-pandemic slump driven by a crisis in the property sector, weak consumption and high government debt.

Just days after beginning his second term in the White House last week, Trump said he would impose a 10 percent levy on all Chinese products from February 1, while leaving the door open for negotiations.

Việt Nam has the potential to become a manufacturing hub in the region this year, especially in fields involving technology, as global companies have expressed interest in expanding operations in the country.

In 2023, smartphones-to-silicon conglomerate Huawei quietly released its flagship Mate 60 Pro handset. The launch, while muted, was worth celebrating in the People’s Republic: the device featured a made-in-China chip that had previously seemed out of reach amid crippling US sanctions.