Bangladesh needs near-term policy tightening to address the mounting external financing gap and ensure a continued decline in inflation, the IMF has said.
Fiscal consolidation should prioritise the swift implementation of tax policy reform to remove extensive tax preferential treatments and simplify the tax system, it suggested.
A strategy to boost revenue and reform expenditures is crucial too.Read More

ASEAN+3 economies are more resilient and diversified today than during past global shocks and better positioned to navigate the unfolding shock from US reciprocal tariffs, the ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook 2025 said.
They possess ample policy space to cushion near-term shocks.
Many of them have the fiscal capacity to deliver targeted support to vulnerable sectors and sustain domestic demand.Read More

Germany remained the world’s top industrial textile exporter in January 2025, but the US dropped to third place among its key markets, with its share falling to 5.40 per cent from 7.59 per cent a year earlier.
Poland became the top buyer with a 7.67 per cent share.
The two countries have alternated top positions in recent years, reflecting shifting trade dynamics.Read More

In Q4 2024, OECD employment and labour force participation rates held steady at 70.2 per cent and 73.9 per cent, near record highs.
Eleven countries, including Germany, Japan, and Turkiye, reached peak levels.
While most countries saw stable or rising employment, Turkiye had the lowest rate at 55.2 per cent.
For 2024, OECD employment rose 0.2 percentage points.Read More

After a strong 2024 performance, global trade is now facing headwinds from a tariff surge and rising trade policy uncertainty, a WTO blog said.
The world merchandise trade volume may fall by 0.2 per cent this year, with a modest 2.5-per cent recovery likely in 2026.
World GDP is now expected to grow by 2.2 per cent in 2025—0.6 pps below the baseline prediction—before reaching 2.4 per cent in 2026.Read More