Zina Tasreen

Inflation is the new normal

Suggest steps taken in the monetary policy

3m ago

Is Yunus’s sentencing an ominous message for foreign investors?

Surely, the manner of Yunus’s sentencing does not add to the broader investor confidence in Bangladesh, and the data points already are not promising.

3m ago

Inflation hits 11-year high

If there is one indicator that epitomises the government’s mismanagement of the economy in recent times, it is inflation -- which raced to an 11-year high of 9.94 percent in May.

10m ago

A budget divorced from reality

Self-contradictory is what best describes Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal’s fifth budget, and the last of the Awami League-led government’s current term.

10m ago

Bracing for budget of self-preservation

In 2019, when AHM Mustafa Kamal took charge as the finance minister, the Bangladesh economy was taxing for take-off for its long-haul flight to the developed country club.

11m ago

Time to hit the reset button

This year was always supposed to be a celebration of Bangladesh’s economic progress with the opening of Padma bridge and Dhaka metro rail and 100 percent electrification.

1y ago

What is Bangladesh's current forex reserve?

Ever since Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s economic turmoil, Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves has become a part of public discourse. So much so that despite having an official figure from the central bank every week, people are speculating.

1y ago

Inflation at 9-year high

Inflation raced to a nine-year high of 7.56 percent in June, in a development that lays bare the extent of the cost of living crisis gripping the low-income and middle-class people in Bangladesh thanks to a war taking place some 5,800 kilometres away in Ukraine.

1y ago
May 31, 2022
May 31, 2022

Bringing back black money: Will amnesty work at all?

Wishful thinking -- is what best describes the maiden tax amnesty campaign the government is planning to lure money back home next fiscal year.

May 22, 2022
May 22, 2022

Bank borrowing may hamper recovery

When thinking outside the box was needed, the government opted for the tried-and-tested method.

May 20, 2022
May 20, 2022

Hopeless revenue target: No major tax hike planned

Wishy-washy -- is what best describes the government’s stance on scaling up its narrow revenue base, which is posing to become the Achilles’ heel to Bangladesh’s growth aspirations.

May 14, 2022
May 14, 2022

Record subsidy, but will it be enough?

Strange times are these in which we live when record subsidy allocation may still come short of what is needed.

May 12, 2022
May 12, 2022

Forex reserves under strain: Govt defers employees' foreign tours, less important projects

The government finally raised its guard against the dwindling dollar reserves, putting its employees’ foreign tours on hold and deferring projects that require much imports.

May 11, 2022
May 11, 2022

Economy firing on all cylinders

There are bright sparks in all corners of the economy, according to the provisional GDP figures for fiscal 2021-22, which do not show a hint of a pandemic hangover when others are still plodding along.

May 1, 2022
May 1, 2022

Tribute to Muhith: Farewell to architect of our economy’s golden era

When Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina defiantly announced in 2012 that the Padma bridge would be built after the World Bank pulled out of the project, her gumption was not irrational.

April 29, 2022
April 29, 2022

Offshore Smart City: Can a parliamentary committee recommend a project to PM without due diligence?

Can a parliamentary standing committee recommend a project directly to the prime minister without any due diligence? The law explicitly does not permit it.

April 13, 2022
April 13, 2022

Bangladesh's $200m loan to Sri Lanka hangs in balance

When Bangladesh agreed to provide $250 million to Sri Lanka last year, little did it think that it would become a side character in the horror show that is unfolding in the island nation.

August 5, 2021
August 5, 2021

News Analysis: Why is the govt indulging Evaly so much?

What does one do when one sees wrongdoing taking place in front of one’s very eyes? For most, the natural response would be to stop it in its tracks.

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