This paper examines the impacts of firm-specific and macroeconomic factors in determining the profitability of the cement industry in Bangladesh. This study took stock exchange listed all cement companies of Bangladesh as samples and covered the period of 2000–2018. Return on Assets (ROA) was chosen as the dependent variable and firm size, expense to revenue ratio, leverage, age, inflation rate, GDP growth rate, and real interest rate were chosen as independent variables where the first four are firm-specific and the other three are macroeconomic factors. This study considered ROA as the profitability measurement of the firms. The study found that leverage, GDP growth rate, and real interest rate have significant impacts on the profitability. Firm size, age, GDP growth rate, and real interest rate have a positive impact whereas expenses to revenue ratio, leverage, and inflation have a negative impact on the profitability of the firms under the cement industry.

The economic growth of a country is influenced by many different factors. This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth in Bangladesh as well as the impact of stock market performance upon the economic growth of Bangladesh. The stock market performance has been measured by market capitalization ratio, number of listed companies, total value traded and turnover ratio; and the economic growth was represented by real gross domestic product. The periods taken for study were from year 1994 to year 2015.The effect of the stock market reform will also be addressed to explain the relationship. The study has been conducted using Augmented DickeyFuller Unit Root Test, Johansen Cointegration Test and the Granger Causality Test. The findings of the research should help the policy makers and regulators to look after their interest in the financial sector of the country.

The banking business is one of the booming businesses in Bangladesh. But at present, the sector is struggling to be on the growth path due to the growing proportion of Non-Performing Loan (NPL). The NPL has instigated a negative influence on the growth of Banking Business. This study has compared the severity of the impact of operational modes between two mainstream banking systems, traditional banking and Islamic banking, which may affect Non-performing loans. Other variables such as governance of the banks, bureaucracy, and size of the banks, the difference in reserve ratio, capital adequacy ratio, and interest rates have different impacts on NPL. We have explained the impact of the variables on the bank performance as per mainstream banking operational model. Finally, we have proposed some evocative measures through which the Non-performing loan can be minimized.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ruined the faster growth patterns of emerging economies. Emerging economies with their constrained of resource availability and resource allocation response to the epidemic differently based on the extent of damage and recovery required. While there is no ‘one size fits for all’ approach in policy responses, a combination of policy tools employed by rising nations may provide critical insights into their actual economic capabilities. In this paper, from January 2020 to December 2021, we examine and evaluate the policies adopted by emerging economies to combat the pandemic. IMF's Policy Tracker database is used to encode, analyze, and assess 25 selected emerging economies' policies at the global, regional, and income levels. Emerging economies use a wider portfolio of policy tools with better coverage, with budgetary biases. Findings could help understand the heterogeneity of policy responses across emerging economies during the pandemic’s economic disaster.

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