Business

Marks & Spencer shares rose to their highest level in seven years after the retailer posted a long-awaited rise in clothing sales. The retailer said sales for the three months to 28 March rose by 1.9%. Closely-watched general merchandising sales, which include women’s clothing, rose 0.7% on a like-for-like basis over the quarter, its best performance in nearly four years. ...

The dollar stuck to its recent ranges in holiday-thinned trading on Friday and stocks edged up as investors awaited key US employment figures for possible clues on when the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei stock average was up 0.3 percent. Wall Street logged modest gains ...

Major powers and Iran have stretched talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme into a second day past an end-March deadline, with diplomats saying the chances for a preliminary deal were balanced between success and collapse.   Both Brent and US crude prices snapped three-session losing streaks on Wednesday, gaining $2 or more after data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed ...

According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (BTRC), the country’s first cellphone operator Citycell lost 135,000 and Airtel 418,000 users in the last one year. BTRC disclosed the latest figures of mobile phone and internet subscribers on Tuesday. According to the telecom regulator, the number of mobile-phone users in the country rose to 122.66 million at the end of February this ...

The flash HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dipped to 49.2 in March, below the 50-point level that separates growth in activity from a contraction on a monthly basis, stoking worries over the strength of the world’s No.2 economy. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a reading of 50.6. “Considering that the preliminary PMI figures for major crude importers turned out ...

Chewy Junior Cream Donut Puff! The fun-food for the food-lovers with a great taste, just too good to forget! Originally, a concept of bakery genius Mr. Kevin Wong from Singapore, Chew Junior has been serving the global gourmand through its 50 plus outlets in eleven countries and is generally celebrated as a wonder donut among its fans. To meet up ...

 Bangladesh is currently the fifth top bicycle exporter to Europe, though it was itself an importer a decade back. Businessmen in the country see a huge export potential for bicycles because of their growing popularity in developed nations as an environment-friendly mode of transport. They expect a sharp rise in bike exports to the European market following its economic recovery. ...

The government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday concluded a 15-day joint review of ADB-assisted projects in Bangladesh to further improve development results, Senior government officials, project directors, and ADB staff members from its headquarters and the Bangladesh Resident Mission participated in the review, said a press release. The review programme concluded through a wrap-up meeting which ...

The British government’s final budget before a May election contains perks for older voters and a “Google tax” on companies that shift profits overseas, according to Sunday newspapers. Chancellor George Osborne’s budget due to be announced Wednesday will end restrictions on the sale of annuities, allowing pensioners to swap regular retirement incomes for lump sums, the reports said. “The chancellor ...

By Mahfuz Kabir Once Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results”. Exactly in an opposite story, Robert Bruce spoke about a spider that tried seven times to eventually succeed in spinning her web. However, economists are in-between. They have scientifically rigorous theories and models which are proved in laboratories but not ...