Banks have registered sluggish growth in deposits throughout the current fiscal year as elevated inflation and an economic slowdown have squeezed the scope for many to save, even though the interest rate has risen.

The private sector is facing increasing uncertainty as stubbornly high inflation, stagnant investments and inconsistent energy supplies continue to weigh on businesses, according to industry leaders.

Government must plan ahead to tackle sudden shocks

Government lacks urgency and focus in crisis response

The current high level of inflation has already placed significant financial pressure on the common people, and increasing taxes in this context will create even more strain

People are switching to shampoo mini-packs from regular bottles, women are sacrificing their tiny luxuries of cosmetic puffs while households are embracing cheap but substandard detergents for laundry: this is exactly what happens when brutal price pressures push around 78 lakh people below the poverty line in just two years and stalk another 1 crore to do so.

Over the past two years, real income reductions due to ongoing inflationary pressure have pushed at least 78 lakh people into poverty, shows the study by the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).

Although the reforms have just started, some positive results are already visible.

Weak law and order, high interest rates on bank loans, and slow bureaucracy remain big concerns for entrepreneurs despite many steps taken by the government in its first 100 days, business leaders said yesterday.

Fatima Khatun, dressed in a washed-out kameez, came to Muslim Bazar in Mirpur 12 to shop with her four-year-old son on August 16.

British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) saw a drop in its profits and sales in the January-March period of 2024, reasoning that people had cut back on smoking cigarettes amidst high inflationary pressure.

As many as 70 percent of the households in Bangladesh changed their food habits involuntarily to cope with the high prices, according to a survey by the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM).

Inflation once again grazed double digits in October, advancing 30 basis points to 9.93 percent despite the government’s repeated assurances of measures to rein it in.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday said that though he is worried about the elevated level of consumer prices, the situation is still under the government’s control.

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.

Says economist MM Akash

Private sector credit growth in Bangladesh dropped to a 14-month low of 11.23 per cent in April owing to weak credit demand amid the current business slowdown, official figures showed.  

High inflation can impose serious and lasting costs on the economy and people. But the distributive effects of inflation—the way it transfers money from some individuals to others—are complex.

Three issues would be dictating the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, the last of the Awami League government’s present five-year term: the International Monetary Fund’s conditions, the persistently high inflation and next year’s national election.

Lack of action to bring down prices of food is especially concerning