Hiring in the United States picked up pace in April and unemployment returned to a multidecade low, government data showed Friday, signaling labor market resilience despite higher interest rates to tackle inflation.

Industrial orders at German factories saw their biggest fall in March since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, data showed Friday, the latest sign that Europe’s biggest economy is facing a steep downturn.

Apple on Thursday said iPhone sales and money made from services powered quarterly earnings that beat forecasts, despite inflation pressure and the slowing global economy.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered Bhutan a scope to build an economic zone in Bangladesh for mutual benefits during a meeting in London with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema. 

Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Friday presented plans to cap the price of electricity used by energy-intensive industries to insulate the sector against sharp cost increases, but the proposal immediately sparked criticism.

The central bank took the decision to comply with IMF's loan conditions

China's foreign exchange reserves rose more than expected in April, official data showed on Sunday, as the dollar fell against other major currencies.

Most of the listed pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh logged lower profits despite higher sales in July-March of the current financial year owing to a spike in the cost of production. 

The Federal Reserve moved its management of the post-pandemic economic recovery into a new phase on Wednesday with what may be the last in a historic series of interest rate hikes and heightened attention to credit and other economic risks.

Global gas markets are gradually rebalancing but are expected to remain tight in 2023 amid lower Russian pipeline gas deliveries to Europe, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday.

The British pound was steady against the dollar on Thursday having hit an 11-month high overnight after the Federal Reserve raised rates but signalled an end to its tightening cycle is in sight.

India and Russia have suspended efforts to settle bilateral trade in rupees, after months of negotiations failed to convince Moscow to keep rupees in its coffers, two Indian government officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

India’s services activity expanded at the fastest pace in nearly 13 years in April, driven by robust demand, according to a private survey which also showed price pressures increased at their fastest rate in recent months.

Euro zone factory activity contracted further last month, albeit not by as much as initially thought, while the cost of raw materials fell at the fastest pace in nearly three years, a survey showed on Tuesday.

US manufacturing activity shrank again in April as companies continued to match slowing demand by cutting new orders, according to survey data released Monday.

India has cut the windfall tax on petroleum crude to 4,100 rupees ($50.14) per tonne from 6,400 rupees per tonne, effective from Tuesday, according to a government notification.

Annual inflation in the eurozone rose to seven per cent in April, the EU’s statistics agency said Tuesday, the first increase after five consecutive months of declines.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised Asia’s economic forecast on Tuesday as China’s recovery underpinned growth, but warned of risks from persistent inflation and global market volatility driven by Western banking-sector woes.

A team of staff of the IMF is now visiting Bangladesh

The central bank devalued the local currency Tk 103 from Tk 102 in the first week of April.