The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has announced plans to introduce a quarterly Economic Position Index (EPI) to assess Bangladesh’s overall economic activities on a regular basis.
DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed disclosed the initiative on Saturday during a focus group discussion held at the DCCI Auditorium in Motijheel.
He said the existing indicators — such as the Business Confidence Index, Ease of Doing Business Index, or GDP growth — cannot fully capture the country’s real economic dynamics.
“To bridge this gap, DCCI has taken the initiative to develop the EPI.This index will provide real-time insights into key aspects of the economy including production, sales, order flows, exports, employment and investment trends,” said the DCCI president.
Initially, the survey for the index has been conducted in Dhaka, but the chamber plans to gradually expand it nationwide to reflect broader economic movements across the country.
Taskeen said the EPI will not just be a statistical report, but a practical policy-support tool that can help identify sectoral trends and shifts more faster.
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The index will enable a quarterly analysis of performance across manufacturing and service sectors, covering areas such as ready-made garments, textiles, wholesale and retail trade, real estate, transport, storage and banking.
Discussants at the event emphasised that in a rapidly changing economy, timely and data-driven policymaking is essential.
They said the EPI will serve as an 'early-warning economic assessment platform,' helping policymakers take informed and effective decisions.
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