Bangladesh’s signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia should not be just for the duty free benefits on export but also for securing massive investments, according to economists.

The West Zone of Bangladesh Railway is going to launch a “special mango train” on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route via Rajshahi tomorrow for the second consecutive time.

Mango traders in Chapainawabganj are counting losses due to the ongoing seven-day lockdown -- just a day after trading of Gopalbhog mangoes started in the market.

The first company on the SME board of the country’s bourses has been oversubscribed by about 18 times.

US President Joe Biden will rely on ally countries to supply the bulk of the metals needed to build electric vehicles and focus on processing them domestically into battery parts, part of a strategy designed to placate environmentalists, two administration officials with direct knowledge told Reuters.

ACI, one of the country’s leading business houses, has been continuing to log profits for the last three quarters as it registered growing sales of consumer goods, packaging materials and food from its retail chain Shwapno.

Some 3.34 crore families across the country benefitted from the sale of basic commodities at subsidised rates by the state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) between March last year and May this year, claimed a commerce ministry statement yesterday.

High earners from fish and poultry hatchery as well as fish farming are likely to lose the privilege of income tax reductions from fiscal 2021-22 as the government plans to introduce a new slab to collect more taxes from fish and poultry farming entrepreneurs.

German business morale brightened to hit a two-year high in May as Covid-19 curbs were eased and infections fell, heralding a swift summer recovery after the economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter.

Six state-run banks’ progress in bringing down the defaulted loans last year on the back of recovery and the payment holiday was overshadowed by a large volume of net losses.

Aircraft leasing firm SMBC Aviation Capital has agreed to buy an additional 14 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with a low-cost carrier configuration, with deliveries due to begin later this year, it said on Tuesday.

China’s market regulator has begun an investigation into suspected anti-competitive practices by KE Holdings, the country’s biggest housing broker whose top backer is Tencent Holdings, two people who know of the matter said.

India is preparing an economic stimulus package for the sectors worst affected by Covid-19, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Britain’s competition regulator is reviewing AstraZeneca’s $39 billion buyout of US-based Alexion on concerns it could reduce competition in the UK market or elsewhere.

China’s Huawei Technologies said it will launch its new Harmony operating system for smartphones on June 2, its biggest move yet aimed at recovering from the damage done by US sanctions to its mobile phone business.

US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said he expects strong backing from G7 peers for Washington’s proposed 15 per cent-plus global minimum corporate tax, which should help solidify support in the US Congress for domestic corporate tax legislation.

A trade deficit may not be too bad even amidst the coronavirus challenges if you have a healthy foreign exchange reserve, strong remittance inflow, foreign direct investment, and aid flow. More importantly, when capital machinery or industrial raw materials import is the cause of this possible trade deficit.

The litchi season may end earlier than usual this year as unfavourable weather conditions led to lower production of the sugary tropical fruit, according to industry insiders.

Profits of the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) almost doubled in nine months of fiscal 2020-21 thanks to higher turnover with the same operating costs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Khyaati Leather Innovations BD Ltd, an India-Bangladesh joint venture, is set to establish a garment accessories and bags manufacturing factory at the Ishwardi Export Processing Zone in Pabna at an investment of $2.95 million.