Ahsan Habib

Ring Shine Textiles has sold shares in the pre-IPO (initial public offering) period free of cost through a private offer, a clear act of forgery, according to a special audit of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC).

The stock market regulator has stepped forward in strengthening the bond market so that it can be a long-term source of finance.

Listed drug makers booked an 18 per cent growth in profit in the first nine months of the current fiscal year thanks to a decrease in marketing costs amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Most banks are announcing higher dividends for 2020 than a year ago although they were plagued by the coronavirus pandemic for most of the year and had to do with a lower interest rate regime.

Square Pharmaceuticals will launch its production facility in Kenya within the next four months in a move that will considerably enhance the company’s earnings from East African nations.

With the interest rate on deposits falling steadily, keeping money in the banks seems to provide negative returns.

Stocks of almost all non-life insurance companies have more than doubled over the past year while the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) rose 38 per cent.

Home appliance makers and retailers are witnessing better sales than previous year on the back of online shopping, promotional offers and free delivery ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Low interest on bank deposits has driven savers away from the banking sector and encouraged them to invest in stocks, which is why the market index has been on a rising trend for the last eight days amid an ongoing nationwide lockdown.

Investors yesterday faced prolonged malfunctioning of the DSE mobile app while trying to execute trade, all at a time when the digital mode is enabling the stock market to stay open amidst the ongoing lockdown.

Once known to many for their attractive stocks, banks are a long way from raising adequate interest among stock market investors as confidence has been sunk by high amounts of non-performing loans and low asset value.

Access to finance is a big challenge for farm mechanisation in Bangladesh and so the country’s lenders should do more for the agriculture sector, according to Subrata Ranjan Das, executive director of ACI Motors.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has taken many steps in the past decade to safeguard the index from falls, albeit without considering the long-term impacts.

Stocks were mixed last week as several policy decisions impacted investor confidence amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

With a new lockdown coming up to curb the fast spread of the coronavirus, stock market analysts have recommended not to panic and holding on to shares of companies with good performance records.

Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) seeking better returns than those of banks can invest in specialised bonds offered by the government and initial public offerings (IPO) of the stock market.

Stock investors are in a state of panic due to the sharp increase in Covid-19 infections across the country, leading to a downward trend in the market for the past two weeks.

Almost all mutual funds have come up with huge discounts, but they are still failing to attract investors due to a lack of trust, poor performance of fund managers and meagre dividends.

Most people in Bangladesh prefer to keep their funds in banks but lower interest rates on deposits are now turning them away from the risk-free income generating investment tool.

Bank funds amounting to Tk 1,863 crore are headed for the stock market as the investors are deeming it a better mode for gaining higher, cost-effectiveyields compared to other forms.