Finance
Taka policy in a changing world
It is still widely believed that depreciation of taka vis-à-vis foreign currencies—especially US dollar—will boost Bangladesh’s export earnings. This is true only if our exports are priced or invoiced in Bangladeshi taka. For example, if a shirt made in Bangladesh is invoiced at Tk 1,000, at an exchange rate of USD 1 = Tk 85, the shirt will cost USD 11.76 in the international market.
Privatisation increases corruption
International financial institutions (IFIs) have typically imposed wide-ranging policy reforms—called “conditionalities”—in exchange for country governments to secure access to financial assistance.
The PM’s China visit
It is undeniable that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has, quite deftly, made the most of the fast-changing regional and global geopolitics, eventually emerging as a strong leader in South Asia.
2019 SUMMER DAVOS FORUM / An open world economy in a new era of globalisation
The 2019 Summer Davos Forum, also known as the “World Economic Forum’s 13th Annual Meeting of the New Champions,” was held during July 1-3, 2019 in the coastal city of Dalian in northeast China’s Liaoning province.
Consumer Rights Violations / Why filing complaints is absolutely necessary
I assume there is hardly anyone amongst us who has never felt cheated after buying a product or taking a service in exchange for money.
What does Bangladesh gain from the US-China trade war?
As the US-China trade war intensifies, pundits on both sides of the Pacific and elsewhere are wondering: who is the real winner?
The emerging cracks in our external sector
The robust external sector performance has been a strong pillar on which Bangladesh’s impressive macroeconomic stability and growth of recent years was founded. The strong performance was underwritten by several factors.
Smart priorities for the new government’s first budget
Since 2015, Copenhagen Consensus and BRAC have collaborated on Bangladesh Priorities to create a bridge between policy and research. This is driven by the belief that, with limited resources and time, it is crucial that decisions are informed by what will do the most good for each taka spent.
A better economic plan for Japan
It's been a quarter-century since Japan's asset bubble burst – and a quarter-century of malaise as one “lost decade” has followed another.
Reform or divorce in Europe
In response to asymmetric shocks and divergences in productivity, there would have to be adjustments in the real (inflation-adjusted) exchange rate, meaning that prices in the eurozone periphery would have to fall relative to Germany and northern Europe.
Airing the IMF's dirty laundry
Following the International Monetary Fund's controversial actions in the Asian financial crisis of 1998, when it conditioned liquidity assistance to...
RCBC ‘preserves ties with US banks’ despite heist role
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) officials say they have preserved ties with major US banks despite the use of one of its branches in Manila by cyber criminals to funnel $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
New monetary policy aims inflation control
Bangladesh Bank today announced its new monetary policy with an aim at stabilising inflation at a moderate level keeping pace with the government's budgetary target of higher growth.
Why do some countries trade more than others?
Heoretically, trade liberalisation results in productivity gains through increased competition, efficiency, innovation and acquisition of new technology.
New Education Budget: To fit the purpose
The Tk. 49,000 crore or US$ 6.3 billion allocated for education, when divided by the estimated 40 million students in the country, amounts to Tk. 12,000 per student public spending for a year or about US$ 150 on average for all levels of education.
Of Obesity or Good Health?
The Finance Minister has proposed a mega Tk.3.4 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2016-17. It is about 29 percent higher than the revised budget of the outgoing fiscal year.
How will the government arrange the money?
I must say that the budget is too ambitious in terms of size. It's 15.5 percent larger than the current FY's initial budget and 29 percent higher than the revised one.
“We can't realise this budget without fundamental reforms”
It's a very good budget but it's not clear how they are going to achieve this. I think the idea is here, the intentions are great, but given the fact that every year we over-project and underachieve, there is a problem of credibility.