India’s forex reserves rise to $690.617bn

Oil prices were little changed on Monday with investors eyeing the outcome of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks and key economic data due from China to assess the impact on its commodities demand following trade tensions with the United States.

Asian equities slipped on Monday as a mixed bag of Chinese economic data showed the domestic economy was struggling even as U.S. tariffs began to bite into exports, while the White House kept up its rhetorical pressure on trade partners.

Beijing has begun allowing some shipments of rare earths under new export control rules, but the slow pace of approvals threatens disruption to global supply chains, according to industry participants.

China on Sunday announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9% on imports of POM copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from the United States, the European Union (EU), Japan and Taiwan.

The World Bank has said it would restart operations in Syria following a 14-year pause, after Saudi Arabia and Qatar had paid off the country`s outstanding debts.

India has restricted the import of at least seven categories of Bangladeshi goods, including readymade garments (RMG), fruits and processed foods, through its land ports – just a month after Bangladesh banned yarn imports via the same route.

In a potentially transformative development for bilateral trade, the United States has agreed in principle to pursue a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh. Stakeholders anticipate that such an agreement would grant duty-free access to Bangladeshi exports, notably including its crucial readymade garments (RMG) sector, thereby providing a significant impetus to the nation`s exports to the lucrative American market.

Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, whose country is hosting an Arab League summit, said Saturday it would provide $40 million for the reconstruction of Lebanon and Gaza after wars with Israel.

Claiming that the microcredit is the "real banking", Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus today stressed establishing a `Microcredit Bank` to create more entrepreneurs by disbursing collateral free small credit among young people.

Japan`s economy has faced its first quarterly contraction for a year in January-March, preliminary data showed Friday, and analysts warned Donald Trump`s tariffs could tip it into recession if a deal is not struck.

The World Bank`s Board of Executive Directors on Wednesday approved $270 million financing to bolster flood recovery efforts of Bangladesh and enhance its resilience to future disasters, including support for constructing and rehabilitating critical infrastructure, strengthening agricultural system and improving livelihoods in areas devastated by the August 2024 floods. 

Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries in south-east Asia are caught in the crossfire of US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, with the region coming under mounting pressure to clamp down on the rerouting of Chinese goods as it heads into tariff negotiations with the United States.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur said that the country will receive $3.5 billion in external financing in June, including $1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Beijing has criticised a trade deal between the United Kingdom and United States that could be used to squeeze Chinese products out of British supply chains, complicating UK’s efforts to rebuild relations with China.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to disburse the next two tranches of its $4.7 billion loan package for Bangladesh, amounting to $1.3 billion, in June.

Asian share markets fluctuated Wednesday, with investors struggling to track a strong day on Wall Street as euphoria over the China-US trade detente petered out.