Ahsan Habib

Economists urge the next government

Elections rarely spark dramatic rallies in Bangladesh’s stock market. The trend has been consistent at least in the last six parliamentary elections. Yet, stakeholders hope this time will be different.

The economic goals outlined in the BNP’s election manifesto read like a calculated challenge. It presents the coming decade as a stark choice:

Sales of prescription allergy drugs have surged more than any other types of medicine since the Covid-19 pandemic.

People usually dream of having a fantastic living house, and most of their thinking is centred on building a concrete house. Residents from Munshiganj think otherwise. Wooden homes remain immensely popular among dwellers of the district, and their popularity is growing among many districts nowadays.

Masudur Rahman, who has been investing in stock for nearly 20 years, was hopeful that at least a few state-run firms would be listed on the stock market soon, as the interim government directed authorities to do so. To his dismay, no new state-run companies were listed.

Foreign debt servicing by the government and its guaranteed loans rose 17 percent to $7.09 billion at the end of June in the last fiscal year.

Although the authorities say the foreign exchange rate is now fully market-determined, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has described the system as “incomplete”.