logo
Bangladesh Taka Will Extend Slide on Election, Tariffs, BMI Says

Bangladesh Taka Will Extend Slide on Election, Tariffs, BMI Says

Bloomberg04-06-2025

The Bangladesh taka is set to extend this year's decline due to potential political instability in the South Asian country and the increase in US tariffs, according to BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.
The currency is forecast to average 125 per dollar over the year as a whole, said Sayaka Shiba, senior country risk analyst at the research firm in Singapore. That compares to an average of 115.35 during 2024 and Tuesday's close of 121.86, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Strike shuts down Bangladesh's biggest port
Strike shuts down Bangladesh's biggest port

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Strike shuts down Bangladesh's biggest port

Operations at Bangladesh's biggest port were suspended on Sunday as a strike by customs officials brought shipping activity to a halt. The shutdown at Chittagong Port is part of an ongoing dispute between tax authority employees and the government, which is trying to overhaul the body. "The port typically handles around 7,000 to 8,000 containers daily... But since this morning, there has been no movement in offloading or onboarding of goods," said Mohammed Omar Faruq, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority. "This is having a huge impact on the country's economic situation," he told AFP. Bangladesh is the world's second-largest garment manufacturer, while textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of the country's exports. Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the halt in port operations would cost the industry $222 million. "The cost of recovery will be staggering -- beyond comprehension -- and many factories risk going bankrupt," he told AFP. Staff at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have been striking on and off for weeks over plans to split the authority into two separate bodies. Bangladesh's interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, urged them to end the walkout. "We hope NBR's staff will report back to work setting aside their unlawful programme that goes against the national interest of the country," his office said in a statement. "Otherwise for the sake of the people of this country and safeguarding the economy the government will be left with no option but to act firmly," the statement added. NBR staff were prevented from entering their offices on Sunday after a government order sought to stop them from protesting within their building premises. Meanwhile, 13 business chambers held a press conference on Saturday urging the government to resolve the issue as soon as possible. sa/asv/rsc

‘Kiss of death': South Florida reacts to end of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status
‘Kiss of death': South Florida reacts to end of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

‘Kiss of death': South Florida reacts to end of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status

Nadine Mallebranche was only five years old when her family fled the political upheaval of Francois 'Baby Doc' Duvalier's Haiti in the late 1980s. In the United States, the Mallebranche family found safety. After her parents died when she was 13, Mallebranche bounced from foster home to foster home. Social workers tried to help her with her immigration case, but it fell through the cracks, she said. She remained unsure of her legal status for decades. Everything changed for Mallebranche when Haitians were granted deportation protections and work permits under Temporary Protected Status. For the last 15 years, she has not had to fear being sent back to a country she doesn't remember. She could legally work as a store supervisor. 'It was a lifeline,' she told the Miami Herald. But on Friday, Mallebranche, now 45, learned that the Trump administration is ending TPS for over half-a-million Haitians living in the United States. Come this fall, she could be forced to return to a gang-ridden Caribbean country struggling with record hunger and political instability. 'I'm facing potential deportation to a country that is overrun by criminal gangs,' said Mallebranche. 'The only home that I know is the United States.' In the first six months of 2025, extreme violence in Haiti killed about 2,700 people . Sexual violence and kidnappings are rampant. Almost 1.3 million people are internally displaced and 5.7 million people face acute hunger. READ MORE: Trump ends TPS for Haitians. More than a half-million people now face deportation But a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday that 'the environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home' — even as the State Department warns Americans to not travel there at all because of kidnapping, civil unrest, limited healthcare, and extreme gang violence. This week, the agency urged Americans to 'depart as soon as possible.' Litigation challenging the termination of Haiti's TPS is very likely. But the Trump administration's decision to end TPS has sent shock waves through South Florida, the heart of the Haitian diaspora in the United States. Over 300,000 Haitians call the Miami metro area home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly 511,000 live in Florida. In South Florida, advocates and community leaders condemned Homeland Security's decision on Friday, calling it a dangerous and wicked policy that threatens the lives of Haitians if they are forced to return there. 'Deporting Haitians back to Haiti is a kiss of death,' said U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, the federal lawmaker who represents Miami. 'This news is insanity on steroids, and it is heartbreaking to my community. We cannot send anymore people back to Haiti. This ruling is hateful, inhumane and heartless.' 'Deeply concerning,' said U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. ''The economic impact is also significant. TPS holders and their households contribute an estimated $2.3 billion in federal and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes annually. The removal of hundreds of thousands of workers would affect not only South Florida, but also the national economy.' The Florida Immigrant Coalition said in a statement that 'Haiti is not in any shape to sustain human dignity and life, and any suggestion to the contrary is nothing but lies.' 'Forcing Haitians to return to Haiti right now is not just morally indefensible, it is a humanitarian catastrophe,' said Tessa Petit, the Haitian-born director of the coalition. One Haitian TPS holder who asked not to be named condemned the decision and emphasized the contribution of Haitian immigrants to the United States. 'These are the hands that heal you, feed you, teach your children, and serve your communities. Revoking Haitian TPS is not policy, it's humane and economic sabotage. You don't get to call people essential when it benefits you, then disposable when it doesn't,' she said. Others, like the Board of the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce in Florida, shared messages of support to those affected, which includes many Haitian families where status for different members ranges from undocumented to U.S. citizenship. 'Our community's strength has always been rooted in resilience, unity, and the pursuit of opportunity. We will continue to stand together in that spirit,' said the coalition in a statement. Homeland Security said in Friday's announcement of the termination that it 'encouraged' Haitians to self-deport. Some Haitians have previously told the Herald that they would rather risk immigration detention in the United States than return to Haiti. As part of a widespread crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has ended humanitarian protections for immigrants from countries in turmoil, like Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti. The previous administration granted an 18-month extension of the protections in January, following a country review, because conditions in Haiti are so dangerous. Current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rolled back the year-and-a half-long extension, a decision that is being litigated in federal courts. On Friday, the agency ended Haiti's TPS altogether. The TPS designation expires on Aug. 3, and the termination kicks into effect a month later, on Sept. 2. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,' the DHS spokesperson said. Congress created TPS in 1990 as a way to grant deportation protections and work permits to people who are already in the United States and cannot return home to countries navigating war, conflict or natural disasters. The secretary of Homeland Security can designate a country for TPS, and periodically conduct a review to determine whether conditions warrant extensions of current designations or expansions that can include more people under the protections. Large swaths of Haiti, including about 90% of its capital Port-au-Prince, are under the control of criminal gangs that terrorize the population. The country is as dangerous for children as the Gaza Strip, according to a recent UN report. A lack of basic necessities, a government in collapse and a crumbling healthcare system make life extremely difficult for people in the country, which has not held elections since 2016. Mallebranche cannot imagine returning to a country in turmoil, a homeland where she hasn't stepped foot in decades. She hasn't told loved ones yet she might be deported. 'This is infuriating, not only for me, but every other person that this is now happening to. What are we supposed to do?'

Activist: Would be ‘regrettable' if Pakistan develops ICBMs
Activist: Would be ‘regrettable' if Pakistan develops ICBMs

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Activist: Would be ‘regrettable' if Pakistan develops ICBMs

(NewsNation) — Dr. Ira Helfand, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient with the grassroots group Back from the Brink Campaign, said it would be 'regrettable' if Pakistan had the ability to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. 'This is just a small part of a much larger problem,' Helfand said during an appearance on 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' on Friday. 'All of the countries that have nuclear weapons are rapidly enhancing their nuclear arsenals and delivery systems. It's all very destabilized, and it's all very dangerous.' Trump says he'd consider bombing Iran again if concerns grow Pakistan is reportedly developing nuclear ICBMs that can be delivered to a major American city. The country says its nuclear program is only for deterrence against its rival India, another nuclear nation with which they have been in recent conflict. Helfand said President Donald Trump, who has been credited by Pakistan with helping defuse the conflict between it and India, should address the situation of nuclear weapons as soon as possible. 'We are already facing a grave danger in South Asia and this new Pakistani missile,' Helfand said. 'India and Pakistan have had three wars and a mini one in May of this year. If they have another war, it will escalate into nuclear conflict.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store