Stock market yesterday witnessed the highest turnover in four months, crossing Tk 1,500 crore, thanks to increased participation of institutional investors prompted by a continuous rise of the index.

A once vibrant musical instruments business has slowly lost its lustre, according to traders, musicians and market analysts.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) has had a director elected.

Friends will hug and pints will be pulled as swathes of the British economy reopened on Monday, giving 65 million people a measure of freedom after the gloom of a four-month Covid-19 lockdown.

China’s factories slowed their output growth in April and retail sales significantly missed expectations as officials warned of new problems affecting the recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.

Saudi Arabia plans to soon reopen to foreign tourists, a senior tourism official said on Monday after the kingdom announced the lifting of quarantine restrictions for certain foreign arrivals.

Japan’s biggest lender, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) said it will aim for net zero emissions in its finance portfolio by 2050, responding to pressure to align its business with the targets set in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

France, Germany and Spain said on Monday they had reached a deal over the next steps of the development of a new fighter jet, Europe’s largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100b euros ($121.4b).

Japan’s top lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) posted on Monday a better-than-expected 47 per cent rise in full-year net profit, after last year’s earnings were hit by an impairment charge on its units in Southeast Asia.

The government will allocate Tk 47,283 crore to 12 mega projects, including those on the fast-track list, from the development budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Next Digital Ltd shares were suspended on Monday after authorities froze assets of its jailed owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law in Hong Kong, while the tycoon pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal protest in October 2019.

The National Board of Revenue will keep its tax offices open during the ongoing countrywide restrictions on movement.

The country’s per capita income has increased to USD 2,227 (Tk 188,873) from USD 2,064.

Turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) crossed Tk 1,500 crore today for the first time in around four months thanks to the buying pressure from the investors.

Some 1.06 crore of mobile phone users left Dhaka until May 15 after the exodus began on May 4 despite strict restriction on movement to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections, according to data of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The industrial estate of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Nilphamari has become a hub for small businesses as it gives them easy access to key markets in the northern part of the country.

While the pandemic waves on, the budget should focus on crisis management, prioritising spending on health, targeting fiscal support to distressed families and enterprises, restoring the functionality of education, and building on the resilience demonstrated by agriculture while keeping an eye on revenues. A business-as-usual budget like last year will miss the boat again.

The central bank yesterday ordered banks to permit branches, liaison and representative offices of foreign companies promptly if they want to move their accounts to another lender.

Bangladesh Bank yesterday instructed lenders to continue their limited banking operations until May 23.

Banks cannot appoint their former managing directors as independent directors at their respective board as per the provisions of the Banking Companies Act 1991, Bangladesh Bank (BB) said last week.