Article HistoryStock market is one of the most widely followed markets in the world with a horde of transactions facilitated every day. Thus, not surprisingly a plethora of research has been dedicated to understanding the nature of these markets and what factors affect their movements and performance in general. Several studies have postulated that macroeconomic variables do tend to significantly affect stock market performance, while other studies found inconclusive relation at best. It is also worth noting that most of these studies were conducted on developed markets and rarely touched on the developing markets. On this background, the objective of this study is to examine the significance of macroeconomic variables in effecting stock market performance of SAARC countries using the OLS multiple regression Model. We have used annual data for the period [2005][2006][2007][2008][2009][2010][2011][2012][2013][2014][2015]. The findings of the study showed that macroeconomic variables i.e. exchange rate, foreign currency reserve and interest rate are all statistically significant in affecting stock market performance of SAARC countries. Whereas, inflation and money do not have a significant relationship in affecting stock market performance. Contribution/ Originality:This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the effect of macroeconomic variables on stock market performance of SAARC countries. A regression analysis on the variables establishes links the significance of the market performance with key macroeconomic indicators in the region.

No abstract

No abstract

This case details the founding of Bangladeshi logistics and ride-sharing company Pathao, solving the traffic congestion and transportation issues of the eighth most populated city of the world, Dhaka. Founded by entrepreneurs Hussain M. Elius, Fahim Saleh and Adnan Shifat in 2015, Pathao broadly operates under two primary areas—delivery and logistics service; and, motorcycle taxi service. It has established broad operations spread throughout the country and was able to differentiate themselves from competitors using an innovative idea to tackle the traffic problem in the city and by leveraging technology to streamline its operations. The case gives an overview of logistics and transport scenario in Bangladesh through the lens of the start-up. It depicts the challenges related to starting a new company; identifying, creating and interacting with the market; securing intellectual property rights, and developing a business model in a developing country.

Insurance is a form of risk management, used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. It involves the transfer of the risk of potential loss from one entity to another, in exchange for a risk premium. Insurance sector plays an important role in service based economy of both developed and developing markets. The purpose of this research is to analyze the determinants that serve as significant predictors of non-life insurance firms' profitability in Bangladesh. It analyzes panel data of eight different insurance companies-selected using convenience sampling method from the years

No abstract

Corporate governance refers to the relationship present between the corporation and the stakeholders that determines and controls the strategic direction and performance of the corporation. Good corporate governance should provide adequate incentives for the board and management to pursue objectives that are in the interests of the company and shareholders, thereby encouraging firms to use resources more efficiently. However, the definition of accountability differs between conventional and Islamic Banks. Islam was made accountable not only to stakeholders, but also to Allah, the ultimate owner and authority. These powerful moral ethics help in promoting fair, just and honest business dealing. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between corporate governance structures and the resultant financial performance of listed Islamic banks of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Bangladesh. The panel time series data were collected for the time period of 6 years (2009-2014) from all the listed Islamic banks to run an Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression model to examine whether the existing corporate governance mechanisms as well as several other internal and external indicators are significant in influencing the financial performance. Preliminary findings suggest corporate governance mechanisms in Islamic banks are not quite as strong as they should be, hinting at possible market and management inefficiencies.

This paper researched on the causes, current consequences and potential implication of the European debt crisis. The crisis was found to be a result of factors including international trade imbalances, the effects from the global crisis 2007-2012 and the failure in bailout approaches to cure Europe from the global financial distress. This has caused panic across the world due to the fact that negative financial situations in peripheral countries in Europe might further demolish the global financial markets. Even though significant growth was presumed from the introduction of Euro, the financial crisis resulted in sharp rise in bond yields, CDS, cross-correlation and spillover effects across bond markets of the Eurozone. Yield curves of the GIIPS countries acted as a cluster; differentiating from stronger and more stable economic forces. In addition, crisis resulted in significant dip of market confidence on Euro and depreciation of Euro against major currencies. Commodity prices i.e. spot price of gold rose to almost 300% over the time crisis period, utilized by governments as a defense mechanism against the economic downturns. Potential problems that might arise from this severe crisis and financial prospects of European states as well as governments over the world are also assessed and discussed.