It is easy to dismiss Davos as nothing more than a talkfest among greedy CEOs, cheerful philanthropists and photogenic celebrity activists. Yet this narrative – which is annually recited by mainstream media – fails to do justice to what the…
Category: Economy
Tokyo stocks open higher as focus shifts to earnings
Tokyo stocks opened higher on Monday as investor focus began shifting to Japanese corporate earnings due in coming days.
Muhith warns of widespread use of black money
Dhaka, 28 Jan – With less than a year to the national election, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has warned banks and the regulator of a widespread use of ‘black money’.
Hawkish-tilting Fed could move rates quicker in 2018
The Federal Reserve likely will leave the benchmark US interest rate untouched next week, but economists say the changing composition of the policy committee could point to faster rate hikes in 2018. Markets are betting the first of the three…
Padma Bridge 2nd span Installation again Sunday
Dhaka, Jan 26 – The 2nd span of the much-hyped Padma Bridge could not be installed between pillars 38 and 39 on Saturday.
US trade commission blocks 300% tariffs on Bombardier CSeries planes
A bipartisan US trade panel on Friday blocked the government’s decision to impose nearly 300 percent punitive tariffs on airplanes manufactured by Canada’s Bombardier, in a dispute that has inflamed relations with Ottawa. The US International Trade Commission voted 4-0…
Growth is back! so what?
by Éloi Laurent Reports of the death of growth have been greatly exaggerated. As the IMF noted last month, the world enjoyed in 2017 the “broadest cyclical upswing since the start of the decade”. In other words, after ten years…
Save rivers to develop country: PM Hasina
Putting emphasis on proper river management, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said rivers will have to be protected for saving and developing the country. “A proper river management is a must to protect the country’s rivers…the rivers will have to…
Dollar losses pile up as investors spooked by Mnuchin comments
The dollar suffered fresh losses on Thursday after two of Donald Trump’s top cabinet members talked down the currency and hinted at a more belligerent trade policy. The sell-off in the greenback especially hit exporters on Japan’s Nikkei index, which…
‘Remember the world’s poorest and most marginalized’
Rome, 24 January– As an unprecedented number of government and business leaders gather at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos today to improve international collaboration in a ‘fragmented world’, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)…
BD creates framework to monitor SDGs progress
The government has approved the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Bangladesh aimed at tracking the implementation progress of SDGs in the country. The M&E Framework for SDGs was approved at an inter-ministerial meeting titled…
Europe watches as German unions battle for more pay
Emboldened by an economy running at full steam, workers in other sectors of the German economy are following the call of the metalworkers’ union for higher pay—and Germany’s trading partners are rooting from the sidelines. Leading the fight is the…
Wealth concentration continues to increase
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, Jan 23 (IPS) – As the ‘masters of the universe’ gather for their annual retreat at Davos, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has just published its Inclusive Development Index…
Observations from a “shithole” country and a note to Trump
Danielle Nierenberg I’ve been in traveling in the West African country of Senegal this week, just a few days after President Trump’s infamous statement about “Haiti and African countries.”
Cement concrete block to be promoted in place of brick
Environment and Forest Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud today said initiative has been taken to manufacture concrete block instead of conventional brick under pilot basis in order to avoid air pollution by operating brick kilns in the country.
Reversing Brexit: Legal route via Vienna Convention
It is argued both in Britain and on the continent that the Brexit process has advanced so far that it is irreversible. This conclusion comes from a close reading of the two basic EU treaties, On European Union (TEU) and…
BEPZA Int’l Investors Summit tomorrow
Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) is set to arrange the ‘BEPZA International Investors Summit 2018’ at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital tomorrow.
US shutdown ends as Congress passes bill
The U.S. government is almost back in business after the Senate voted overwhelmingly to end a shutdown that started on Saturday, imperiling both political parties and leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees out of work, The New York Times…
Non-govt teachers take to streets for nationalising schools
Dhaka 22 Jan – Hundreds of teachers of the non-government primary schools are not caring to take classes rather they have taken the streets in the capital to meet their demand for nationalisation.
Richest 1pc get 82pc of world wealth: Oxfam
Half of the world’s population received no share of all wealth created globally last year, while 82 percent went to the richest one percent, a report by Oxfam International revealed. Billionaires in 2017 increased their wealth by $762bn, enough to…
Austerity: From outrage to progressive alternatives
Social democracy in Europe is not in good shape. Perhaps the main reason for social democratic parties losing support has been their perceived association with austerity policies. Where, however, the centre-left has more categorically rejected austerity, as in the case…
Sanofi buys US haemophilia treatment firm for $11.6 bn
French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi said Monday it had reached an agreement to purchase US biotech company Bioverativ, which specialises in treatments for haemophilia and rare blood disorders, for $11.6 billion (9.5 billion euros).
Both stocks up at opening
Dhaka, Jan 22 – The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw positive trend in early hours of trading on Monday as enthusiastic investors are on buying spree.
India’s urban awakening
Ejaz Ghani Washington, DC – When the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to undergo large-scale urbanization in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the process transformed its economy and society. Today, India is facing a similar…
US govt services closed as working week begins
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be unable to report for work on Monday, as the US Senate struggles to end a government shutdown. The shutdown began at midnight on Friday, when lawmakers failed to agree on an extension…
560 model mosques to be built across Bangladesh
The government has undertaken a project to construct 560 model mosques and Islamic cultural centres across the country, aiming to develop and spread the Islamic values and culture. “The project has been approved by the government to set up a…
Farmers can reap more profits cultivating LBR potato
Agriculture experts at a farmers’ field day on Saturday afternoon said the farmers could reap more profits through expanded cultivation of Late Blight Resistant (LBR) variety potatoes.
Some US services shutdown as Senate fails to pass bill
Recriminations have begun over the failure of the US Senate to pass a new budget and prevent the shutdown of many federal services. A bill to fund the federal government for the coming weeks did not receive the required 60…
People must know stock market before investing money: Muhith
Finance Minister AMA Muhith today said present stock market is modern and internationally recognized one and the government along with Bangladesh Securities Exchange Commission (BSEC) had to work hard to take the capital market to this position.
Over half of Padma Bridge work done: Quader
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said overall 51.5 percent of Padma Bridge project was completed so far.