Ahsan Habib

Walton Hi-Tech Industries, one of the country’s leading electronics producers, yesterday said its profits declined in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal as consumers continue to spend cautiously amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

GPH Ispat, one of the top steel manufacturers in Bangladesh, has made a turnaround in sales and profits in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year.

While the coronavirus pandemic continues to hammer economic activities, Advanced Chemical Industries (ACI) has managed the crisis than most others as it posted an increased sale of hygiene items.

The fall in profit of Fine Foods in the last quarter of fiscal year 2019-20 raises eyebrows of the investors and analysts as the listed aquaculture and agro-based company registered its highest ever earnings in the previous three quarters.

Most of the listed banks logged higher profits in the first nine months of 2020 despite a lower net interest income amid the business slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Unilever Consumer Care, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, witnessed a drastic year-on-year fall in profits in the July-September quarter of this year due to low sales amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Business for most listed multinational companies (MNCs) has bounced back in the July-September period compared to what was during the April-May lockdown, which aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Digitalisation in Bangladesh needs a big push in order for the country to achieve its desired economic development during the post-pandemic era, according to Ashish Goupal, managing director of Marico Bangladesh.

Fortis Healthcare, a chain of private hospitals headquartered in India, has alleged that AFC Health has provided false information and misused the Fortis trade name without consent in order to secure approval for its initial public offering (IPO).

While insurance stocks were skyrocketing riding on rumours in the last two months, their sponsors wasted no time in making a quick buck.

Shares of Zeal Bangla Sugar Mills increased by six times over the past three months, a puzzling development given that the company has declared losses every year since its trading debut in 1988.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has finalised new regulations regarding issuance of brokerage licence allowing such businesses to be opened at a cost of just Tk 6 lakh.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has taken an initiative to return funds that were raised through debentures about 30 years ago, totalling around Tk 150 crore.

Energypac Power Generation is set to raise Tk 150 crore through initial public offering (IPO), the proceeds of which will be used to make liquid petroleum gas (LPG) more available as a primary fuel source for vehicles in Bangladesh and repay the company’s bank loans.

Listed non-banking financial institution (NBFI) Premier Leasing and Finance witnessed a staggering 114 per cent year-on-year increase in classified loans in 2019.

Lub-rref, a local lubricant producer, is set to invest Tk 400 crore to establish the country’s first state-of-the-art base oil refinery with an aim to meet the growing demand for lubricants from both home and abroad.

Around 68 percent of the people who had to stop working in urban areas of Dhaka and Chattogram due to the pandemic have lost their jobs, according to a World Bank report.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has decided to remove the directors who still do not hold at least 2 per cent shares of their listed companies although the regulator made it mandatory nine years ago.

Local motorcycle maker Runner Automobiles has joined hands with Bajaj Auto, a global market leader based in India, to set up a Tk 300 crore manufacturing plant for CNG and LPG-run three-wheelers in Mymensingh.

Insurance companies have been witnessing an uptrend among their shares over the last couple of months thanks to the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority’s (IDRA) move to limit commission payments to agents, according to industry analysts.