Rising rates are creating headwinds for at least 40 listed conglomerates

Listed companies across all sectors saw their profits fall by around 24 percent on an average year-on-year during the last January-September period, due mainly to an economic slowdown and widespread political turmoil, according to an unofficial estimate.

Will smaller rotis at roadside eateries return to their previous regular size next year? Will a Tk 500 note again fill up the shopping bag holding kitchen items? Or, will several lakh graduates, who have been poring over newspaper recruitment advertisements, finally get their jobs in 2025?

Bangladesh’s ongoing democratic transformation calls for reforms, a new constitution, and youth leadership.

Speakers say at annual ICMAB conference

Two years after Bangladesh turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.7 billion bailout to address its worsening macroeconomic pressures, the nation stands at a crossroads.

Even after the political changeover in early August, the domestic market has been reeling under the influence of oligarchs, according to economist Hossain Zillur Rahman.

The liberalisation of trade has changed the agricultural heart of our nation.

The government has planned a Tk 8.48 lakh crore budget for the next fiscal year, up 6.3 percent from this year’s budget, as it looks to usher in a period of moderate growth and low inflation.

Purchasing Managers' Index increases by 6.5 percentage points to 62.2  

$234 billion siphoned out of Bangladesh between 2009 and 2023 when Awami League was in power

Moody’s has downgraded Bangladesh’s banking sector to “very weak” from “weak”, citing worsening client confidence, limited transparency and inadequate financial safeguards over the past year.

Moody’s downgrade of Bangladesh’s economic outlook from stable to negative is expected to have limited immediate impact on the economy, but may affect international trade for banks, leading to higher costs for letters of credit (LCs) and more stringent reviews of private sector credit, experts stated.

“The downgrade reflects heightened political risks and lower growth, which increases government liquidity risks, external vulnerabilities and banking sector risks, following the recent political and social unrest that led to a change in government,” said Moody’s.

When an interim government was sworn into office following the ouster of the Awami League regime just 100 days ago, there was an air of expectation that the Prof Muhammad Yunus-led administration would take steps to salvage a scam-ridden financial sector and rescue an ailing economy.

The government should increase its engagement with the country’s private sector in making policies and decisions amid ongoing reforms, according to prominent business leaders, who cited major challenges such as high inflation, rising interest rates and slowing demand and investment that are now plaguing private businesses.

For local business communities, Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential race has been shorthand for the expectation that Western apparel orders and some foreign investments would shift to Bangladesh, with global fashion powerhouse China possibly facing higher import tariffs from the US.

Business leaders appreciate the steps taken for the domestic industry

Smooth logistics, banking services and security for industries are a must to ensure a revival of economic activities that have been disrupted following the mass uprising that toppled the previous government.

There are 12 issues that policymakers should consider for short- and medium-term action on inflation.