Steel rebar prices in China hit their lowest in three years this week, underscoring flagging growth in the world’s second-largest economy, particularly in its weak property sector.

Rivalry with China, fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine and wrangling once again in Washington over the US debt ceiling have put the dollar’s status as the world’s dominant currency under fresh scrutiny.

The United States and China sparred over trade issues Friday but promised to keep lines of communication open as Beijing’s commerce minister paid a rare visit after a period of soaring tensions.

The dollar pushed to a two-month high against the euro and a six-month peak versus the yen on Thursday, as a resilient US economy led traders to pare their bets on rate cuts this year.

US Federal Reserve economists still expected a  “mild recession” at the most recent interest-rate meeting earlier this month, according to minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.

Germany fell into a recession around the turn of the year, official figures published Thursday showed, as inflation and higher interest rates curbed demand in Europe’s largest economy.

It hit $29.97 billion on May 24

140 are top exporters, 40 are chamber, trade body leaders

Oil prices rose on Wednesday after data showed US inventories and fuel supplies tightening and following a warning from the Saudi energy minister to speculators raised the prospect of further Opec+ output cuts.

ISMARTU Technology BD Ltd, a concern of Chinese mobile assembling company Transsion Holdings, has inaugurated a factory inside Meghna Industrial Economic Zone in Narayanganj yesterday.  

According to Hanke’s Annual Misery Index (HAMI) 2022

Interested participants can submit applications until May 31

BTA Wealth Management spent Tk 111 crore for over 2% stakes in IBBL

The Indian rupee closed higher for the first time in five sessions on Tuesday when investors evaluated hawkish comments from US Federal Reserve officials and progress in the debt ceiling talks.

Indonesia and Iran signed a trade agreement on Tuesday in Jakarta, where President Joko Widodo hosted his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

India’s economy has sustained the growth momentum seen in the last fiscal quarter of 2022/23, while latest inflation outcome has been better than forecast, the Reserve Bank of India said on Monday.

Qatar’s energy minister warned on Tuesday the  “worst is yet to come” for Europe’s oil and gas shortages, saying a warm winter had prevented greater difficulties in recent months.

India’s palm oil imports in May are set to fall to their lowest in 27 months as its rare premium other edible oils prompted buyers to cancel cargoes and replace them with soyoil and sunflower oil, dealers and cargo surveyors said on Tuesday.

The interbank exchange rate for the US greenback has reached a record high of Tk 108.75 per dollar as Bangladesh continues to face a shortage of the foreign currency.

China kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged for the ninth month in May on Monday, matching market expectations, as a weakening yuan and widening yield differentials with the United States limited the scope for any substantial monetary easing.