The plan was issued to all regions and departments to "vigorously boost consumption, expand domestic demand in all directions, improve consumption capacity by increasing income and reducing burdens," a report from the Council said.

Trump earlier this month signed an executive order establishing the reserve, which White House crypto chief David Sacks has likened to "a digital Fort Knox", comparing it to the stockpiling of gold bars at the US military base

The head of the online platform, which has come in for scrutiny over its environmental footprint and allegations of human rights violations, also insisted that the company does not use forced labour.

Analysts widely expect the central bank to hold the benchmark lending rate steady at 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent, after similarly doing so in January

Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn reported on Friday a lower-than-expected net profit for 2024 as consumer electronic gadgets underperformed, although demand for its artificial intelligence servers remained robust.

Vietnamese and US companies have signed more than $4 billion in deals, a petrochemical giant said Friday, as anxiety mounts in Hanoi over potential tariffs under US President Donald Trump’s administration.

As things stand it doesn’t look like Musk will imminently axe Ukraine’s Starlink access, which is part funded by Poland.

An index measuring consumer confidence compiled by the University of Michigan fell to 57.9 in March, down from 64.7 a month earlier, weighed down by the seeming chaos of Trump's tariff policy and fears of high inflation.

India’s retail inflation fell below 4 percent in February for the first time in six months mainly due to a decline in vegetable prices, giving the central bank room to cut rates further in coming meetings.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says a recession would be “worth it” to get President Donald Trump’s economic policies in place, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has spoken of a coming period of “detox” and Trump himself says the economy is in “transition.”

Recessions come with costs. Business profits fall, as do stock prices, which can then amplify the impact as investors reduce their own consumption.

Trump's hyper-focus on tariffs has rattled investor, consumer and business confidence and raised recession fears.

Moody’s Ratings has downgraded Bangladesh’s banking system outlook from “stable” to “negative”, citing rising asset risks and worsening economic conditions.

The European Union will impose counter tariffs on 26 billion euros ($28 billion) worth of US goods from next month, the European Commission said on Wednesday, ramping up a global trade war in response to blanket US tariffs on steel and aluminium.

President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on all US steel and aluminum imports took effect on Wednesday, stepping up a campaign to reorder global trade in favor of the US and drawing swift retaliation from Europe.

The EU executive said, however, that it remained open to negotiations and considered higher tariffs in no one's interest.

The European Commission said Wednesday it would impose "a series of countermeasures" from April 1 in response to the "unjustified trade restrictions" from the United States.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has exempted advance tax on the import of raw materials used to manufacture cancer drugs, according to a notification issued earlier this month.

A barrage of new Trump policies has increased uncertainty for businesses, consumers and investors, notably back-and-forth tariff moves against major trading partners like Canada, Mexico and China.

The world’s largest rice exporter has revoked the ban to reduce its domestic stockpile