Are you considering investing in precious materials but unsure whether to choose gold or diamonds? Understanding their key differences is crucial when making investment decisions. In this article, we will weigh in on the benefits and shortcomings of both gold and diamonds. By the end, you'll have the insights you need to determine which investment aligns best with your financial goals and risk appetite. Advantages of Investing in Gold Safe-Haven Asset:  Gold is often considered a safe-haven asset during economic uncertainties and market volatility. It tends to retain its value and can act as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations. Diversification Benefits:  Adding gold to an investment portfolio can provide diversification benefits, as it typically has a low correlation with other assets like stocks and bonds. This can help reduce overall portfolio risk. Read more: Gold Buyer's Guide: Know the types, colors, karats of the precious metal Tangible Asset:  Gold is a physical asset that you can hold in the form of coins, bars, or jewellery. This tangibility can provide a sense of security and ownership compared to other investments like stocks or bonds.

Investing in a startup or company can be an exciting opportunity, but it can also be a risky one. Before deciding to invest, several key factors should be carefully considered to help minimize the risks and increase the chances of a successful investment. By taking the time to thoroughly evaluate all the necessary factors, investors can make informed decisions. This article will explore these considerations in more detail and discuss how to evaluate potential investment opportunities. 11 Factors to Consider Before Investing in a Startup or Company There are numerous reasons why a startup can fail – ranging from unfortunate circumstances to an inadequate business plan or poor timing. According to statistics from the US Bureau of Labor, approximately 20% of newly established businesses do not survive beyond their first year of operation. The following factors need to be considered before making an investment decision. Analyze the Domain We all have experience working within certain industries or possess a personal interest in particular sectors. To increase the likelihood of successful investment, it is advisable to seek out startups that align with one's area of expertise or interest. This enables one to better comprehend the business and its potential, thereby allowing one to invest with confidence. Read More: How to Buy Sanchayapatra in Bangladesh in 2023: A Beginner's Guide Conversely, investing in startups from unfamiliar sectors may make it difficult to accurately evaluate the business and make informed investment decisions. Business Plan When listening to startup founders pitch their ideas, it is important that their plans appear well-thought-out and not untested ideas with uncertain profitability. For early-stage investments, it is advisable to prioritize startups with practical and scalable concepts. Before investing, it is essential to gain a thorough understanding of the company's framework and processes. Additionally, the business idea should be innovative and fresh and offer solutions to existing problems. Read More: What to Consider Before Buying Land: A Step-by-Step Guide Check the Confidence in Founders A truly innovative idea can be captivating, especially when presented by a passionate founder. While venture investors primarily assess the team, the capability to execute the plan should be given priority. It is not uncommon for startups to be founded by individuals without prior experience in launching new ventures. However, they must demonstrate their ability to transform an idea into a reality through past experience or accomplishments.

Forex loss dealt a heavy blow on Robi’s financials as it knocked off 49% of its profit after tax (PAT) in 2022. Instead of around 361 crore taka, Robi could only book 182.7 crore taka as PAT for the year; which means around 179 crore taka was lost as PAT due to this reason. Robi disclosed this while releasing its financial results for 2022 on Sunday. Robi continued to enjoy 4G leadership position in 2022 with 53% of its total subscribers being 4G users. Around 76% of Robi’s subscriber base were data users in 2022, which was the highest in the industry. Robi ensured 98.3% population coverage of its 4G network with around 16,000 4G sites at the end of 2022. Compared to 2021, data usage per subscriber, per month, increased by around 36%. In 2022, each Robi data subscriber consumed 5.5GB data every month on an average. Robi’s subscriber base grew by around 1.4% compared to 2021 to reach 5 crore 44 lakhs at the end of 2022, representing 30% of the subscriber market share; on the other hand, data subscriber base grew by 4% in 2022 to reach 4 crore 11 lakhs. Meanwhile, compared to 2021, Robi’s 4G subscriber base grew by 21% to reach 2 crore 89 lakhs. With 2,254.3 crore taka revenue in Q4’22, Robi’s revenue in 2022 reached 8,586 crore taka. Compared to 2021, revenue rose by 5.4% in 2022. Compared to Q4’21, revenue rose by 10% in Q4’22. Voice revenue in 2022 increased by 9%. Compared to Q4’21, voice revenue rose by 7% in Q4’22. Data revenue increased by around 2%, compared to 2021. Compared to Q4’21, data revenue rose by 16% in Q4’22. Including 384.4 crore taka CAPEX investment in Q4’22, Robi’s total CAPEX investment for 2022 reached 1,530 crore taka. Including 126 crore taka Profit After Tax (PAT) in Q4’ 22, Robi ended 2022 with 182.7 crore taka PAT, which is around 1.3% higher than 2021. EBITDA in Q4’22 was 1,066.4 crore taka (with 47% margin), while the EBITDA for 2022 reached 3,854.3 crore taka (with 45% margin), marking a rise of 16.5% compared to 2021. Robi’s total contribution to the Government exchequer reached 4,816 crore taka in 2022, including 1,366 crore taka in Q4’22. Robi contributed 60% of its revenue in Q4’22 and 56% of its revenue in 2022 to the Government exchequer. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) in Q4’22 was 0.25 taka; EPS for 2022 was 0.35 taka, which was around 1.3% higher than 2021. Had we not lost nearly half of our PAT to forex loss, our EPS for 2022 would have been 0.67 taka, which would have been 96% higher than 2021. Robi’s Board of Directors have recommended cash dividend at the rate of 7% (i.e. BDT 0.70 per share), which represents 200.7% of the PAT for 2022. The decision was taken at the Board Meeting held on 16th February, 2022. Robi’s 27th Annual General Meeting is scheduled to be held on 25th April, 2022. Commenting on the financial performance of the company, Robi’s CEO, Rajeev Sethi said: “Forex loss has deprived us from a stellar year; our moment of glory was snatched away when PAT literally halved due to forex loss. On top of that, application of 2% minimum tax felt like the last nail in the coffin as far as our PAT for the year was concerned. On the positive side, we managed to make significant gains out of our optimized cost structure. Going forward we will continue to leverage cost optimization to strengthen our bottom-line.” Raising concern over the unsustainability of the data business, he said: “Despite data traffic growth of 45%, our data revenue in 2022 only increased by around 2% compared to 2021 due to ever sliding data price induced by aggressive price war in the industry. In absence of data floor price, such price war is rendering the data business unsustainable. We urge immediate attention of the regulator on this matter.” Reflecting on the completion of Robi’s 25 years anniversary, Robi’s CEO Rajeev Sethi said: “2022 will always remain a special year for Robi, as we celebrated 25 glorious years of our operation this year. It was particularly heartening to note that we observed this poignant moment of our journey with the largest percentage of 4G users in the industry (53% of our subscribers being 4G users. Read more: Forex reserves can cover import for 5 months: Quader  

Madaripur mustard farmers are passing  very busy time in harvesting the crop as they have achieved bumper yield this year and are expecting huge profit. The farmers have been showing interest in mustard farming this year thanks to the higher price of edible oil in the market. Farmers have brought over 2000  hectares of land under mustard cultivation  this year against the previous year. According to the District Agriculture Extension department information, mustard is cultivated on 15,650 hectares of land in four upazilas of the district this year against 13,604 hectares of land in the previous year. Merjon Khalasi, a mustard farmer of the district, said that mustard is being sold at the rate of Tk 3,300 to Tk 3,500 per maund (37.32 kg). Generally, 12 to 13 maund mustard can be produced from one bigha of land costing Tk 8,000 to Tk 9,000, Merjon Khalasi added. Md. Moazzem Hossain, Deputy Director of district Agriculture Department, said that four upazilas of Madaripur got bumper production this year. We hope farmers will earn good profit this year. The government has a plan to produce 50 percent of the annual demand for edible oil in the country in the next three years, said Minister for Agriculture Dr Md Abdur Razzaque at a programme in Gazipur ecently. The minister said the mustard farmers are getting benefited financially by cultivating such hybrid varieties of mustard redesigned by the country’s agriculturalists. The Agricultural Ministry has taken a massive initiative to boost up the mustard production, he said.    

Tesla on Wednesday posted record net income in the fourth quarter of last year, and the company predicted that additional software-related profits will keep its margins higher than any other automaker. The Austin, Texas, maker of electric vehicles and solar panels said it earned $3.69 billion from October through December, or an adjusted $1.19 per share. That beat estimates of $1.13 that had been reduced by analysts, according to FactSet. The company’s profit was 59% more than the same period a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $24.32 billion, which fell short of the $24.67 billion that analysts expected. CEO Elon Musk said that despite price cuts of up to 20% on some of its vehicles announced earlier this month, demand for Tesla products is strong and sales are constrained by production. Some analysts have said the price cuts were a sign Tesla's sales are softening. But so far in January, Tesla has seen the strongest orders year-to-date in its history, Musk said on a webcast with analysts. Read more: Elon Musk defiantly defends himself in Tesla tweet trial “We think demand will be good despite probably a contraction in the automotive market as a whole,” he said. “Demand far exceeds production,” Musk said, adding that Tesla is even making small price increases. Tesla said in its investor letter Wednesday that it would produce about 1.8 million vehicles this year, and Musk predicted that sales would also hit that number. Previously Tesla has said its deliveries would grow at a 50% annual rate most years. But 1.8 million would be about a 40% growth rate. Musk said it’s possible Tesla could build 2 million vehicles this year. “There would be demand for that, too,” he told analysts. On Jan. 13, the company cut prices in the U.S. and China, its two biggest markets, leading many analysts to believe that demand had fallen due to high prices and rising interest rates. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors early Wednesday that demand is a problem. “In our view, the price cuts are indeed a response to slowing incremental demand relative to incremental supply,” he wrote. Tesla's automotive gross profit margin, which is revenue minus cost of goods sold, fell from 30.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 25.9% in the same period in 2022 as previous discounts took hold. Shares of Tesla were up slightly Wednesday, closing at $144.43. They rose another 5.5% in extended trading following the earnings report. Morningstar Equity Strategist Seth Goldstein, who covers Tesla, said Musk addressed fears about demand falling by releasing the 1.8 million sales projection. At least for this year, though, he sees Tesla's profit margins eroding further due to the price cuts. “Longer term I think the profit margins will bounce back,” he said. Average sale prices, he said, rose in the fourth quarter even with price cuts in China, Goldstein said, and the company was able to increase productivity at new factories in Texas and Germany. But that wasn't enough to offset higher raw materials and shipping costs, he said. Read more: Tesla says it sold a record 1.3 million vehicles last year Tesla also said it has rolled out its “Full Self-Driving” software to about 400,000 users, and that it recognized $324 million in revenue from “Full Self-Driving” software during the quarter. Despite its name, “Full Self-Driving” cannot drive itself, and Tesla warns drivers that they must be ready to intervene at any time. The company said it knows there are questions about macroeconomics in the face of rising interest rates. “In the near term we are accelerating our cost reduction roadmap and driving towards higher production rates, while staying focused on executing against the next phase of our roadmap,” the letter said. Musk was asked how Tesla would mitigate brand damage since his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, based on Morning Consult poll results showing a steep favorability decline among Democrats. But Musk said he has 127 million followers on the social media platform, and his following keeps growing. “That suggests that I’m reasonably popular,” he said, adding that the number of followers speaks for itself. For the full year, Tesla made $12.56 billion in net income, or an adjusted $4.07 per share. The company's stock tumbled 65% last year on fears that Musk was distracted by his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. But so far this year they’re up about 35%. Price cuts that began Jan. 13 fueled concerns on Wall Street that demand for Teslas was falling as intense competition arrives from startups and legacy automakers.

State-owned Carew and Company (Bangladesh) Ltd earned a record Tk232.96 crore in 6 months (July-December) of the fiscal year 2022-23 from selling alcohol in the country.   The profit earned has increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year (2021). This is the highest growth record for liquor sales ever for Carew and Company, according to the company’s estimate. This has happened as a result of the undeclared ban on importing foreign liquor; both the production and sales of domestic establishments have increased, officials said. They say the National Board of Revenue (NBR) increased vigilance on liquor imports in 2021 to prevent duty evasion. As a result, the import of alcohol through legal channels has decreased. “There has been a shortage of foreign liquor in authorised bars. They are forced to buy liquor from domestic companies to deal with this crisis. Because of this, both the sale of alcohol and the income have increased,” said Syed Masudul Haque, a senior official of Carew and Company. According to the company sources, in the first six months of the fiscal year 2022-23 (July to December) the income from the sale of alcohol was Tk 232.96 crore. The income from July to December of the 2021-22 fiscal year was Tk192.38 crore. That is Tk40.58 crore or 21 percent more income than the previous year. Earlier, the record of the highest liquor sales was in the 2021-22 fiscal year. In that fiscal year, Carew and Company earned Tk 429.35 crore from the sale of liquor in Bangladesh. In that year, excluding all expenses including revenue collection and company management, the actual profit of the company was Tk 49.17 crore. Also Read: Carew’s vinegar hits market General Manager of Finance (Carew and Company) Saiful Islam told UNB that the production and demand for liquor increased in the last two years. Earlier Carew used to collect raw materials from its own and neighboring sugar mills during the off-season. But currently, the company is procuring raw materials from all the sugar mills under BSFIC to meet the liquor demand, he said. “If the demand increases like this, more raw materials will be needed for liquor. For this, farmers are being encouraged to cultivate high-productivity sugarcane,” Saiful said. Carew and Company (Bangladesh) Limited is one of the 16 companies under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industry Corporation (BSFIC). It is the only licensed producer of alcohol made from sugar molasses in the country. The company is located in Darshana of Chuadanga District. At present, the company has three sales centres in Dhaka, Chattogram and Chuadanga.    

Despite criticism of mismanagement and loan scams, the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) has secured a top position in making operational profit in 2022, according to a Bangladesh Bank report. The IBBL has now the highest deposit holding in the country. The depositors rushed to withdraw their money from the bank amid reports of loan scams in last November and December. Banks have prepared financial reports based on their branch office information on disbursed loans and their collection update. The BB report released late Saturday found that the operating profit of most of the banks increased in 2022, compared to the same period of the previous (2021) year. Also Read: Deposits at IBBL 'completely safe': Bangladesh Bank According to the report, IBBL is at the top among the banks in gaining operational profit. In 2022 (January-December), the bank made an operating profit of Tk 2,646 crore. In the previous year in 2021, the profit of the bank (IBBL) was Tk 2430 crore. In 2020, it was Tk 2350 crore. Among other banks, in 2022, the state-owned Sonali Bank made an operating profit of Tk 2,520 crore. In 2021, it was Tk 2100 crore. Also Read: IBBL reaches Tk 1.40 trillion deposits, 1.16 trillion investments: IBBL MD But operating profit is not the actual profit of the bank. Net profit will be calculated after saving provision or safety stock at fixed rate against debt from operating profit and payment of corporate tax. Net profit is the actual profit of the bank. State-owned BASIC Bank could not make operating profit in 2022. On the contrary, they incurred a loss of Tk 371 crore; Last year also the loss was Tk 80 crore. Apart from this, Citizen Bank has made an operating profit of Tk 2.54 crore in six months. The bank started operations in mid of 2022. Economist and former adviser of caretaker government Dr. ABM Mirza Azizul Islam told UNB, "Bangladesh Bank is giving special benefits to the defaulters and showing the interest of such loan to the income sector. In this case, the financial report of the bank is being shown well on paper.” Read More: BB disburses Tk 4000 crore as liquidity support to 5 Islami banks He also said, "Political commitment and goodwill are needed to restore order in banks." According to the data of the Central Bank, in the quarter of September 2022, the defaulted loan amount in the banking sector of the country has increased to more than Tk1.34 crore, which is 9.36 percent of the total loan.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL), a state-owned telecommunications infrastructure agency, made a hefty Tk 250 crore profit on earnings of Tk 441.74 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal. The information was made public by the company’s Managing Director (MD) Md Azam Ali through an event held at the capital's Hotel Intercontinental on Saturday, at which Post and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar was the chief guest. Speaking as chief guest, Jabbar stressed the need to turn BSCCL into a 'technologically competent institution' to meet the needs of the hour. “Submarine cable is a critical telecommunications infrastructure of the country. As a public company, BSCCL has a role to play for the country and its people. Providing affordable internet services is one of these roles,” said Jabbar. Stating the difference between the price of bandwidth in 2008 and now, Jabbar added that the government has been able to reduce bandwidth price to a great extent in the intervening years. “In 2008, each mbps bandwidth used to cost Tk 27,000, which has now come down to only Tk 240. In FY2017-18, BSCCL earned only Tk 1.4 crore as revenue, which has now surpassed Tk 400 crore. The government is working to provide high speed internet to each and every corner of the country following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s pledge of a Digital Bangladesh,” Jabbar added. Mohammad Khalilur Rahman, Chairman of BSCCL and Posts and Telecommunications Secretary, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and Habibur Rahman, MD of Teletalk, among others, were present at the event.

Telecom operator Grameenphone has reported revenues of Tk11,286.75 crore for the first nine months of 2022, logging a growth of 5.7 percent from the same period last year, despite a regulatory ban on SIM sales amid complaints about the quality of services. In the third quarter, the company lost 2.9 million subscribers, taking the subscriber base down to 81.8 million at the end of the quarter. "Grameenphone's growth momentum continued in the third quarter driven by strong market execution aided by higher revenue and usage amid several external challenges. It was adversely affected by a regulatory ban on SIM sales from the end of June, resulting in a 3.4 percent quarter-on-quarter decline in subscriber base," Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman said. "As we continue to engage with our regulator to overcome this restriction, we received a partial withdrawal of the embargo from mid-September, allowing us to resume SIM sales immediately. We are also facing a tense macroeconomic climate in Bangladesh driven by higher inflation, rising energy prices and austerity measures by the government to curb energy usage." Read: Grameenphone turns to work from home for Thursdays Grameenphone's total revenue for the third quarter saw a growth of 6.7 percent, reaching Tk33,864.93 crore, while subscription and traffic revenue grew by 6.9 percent from last year. "Our investment in network rollout and spectrum deployment resulted in higher data usage of 52.1 percent year-on-year supported by a higher 4G active user base," Jens Becker, CFO of Grameenphone, said. "Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the quarter grew by 5 percent year-on-year driven by top-line growth, while EBITDA margin was 62.2 percent. Net profit after tax for the third quarter stood at Tk907.66 crore, with a margin of 23.5 percent." During the third quarter of 2022, Grameenphone invested Tk278.15 crore in network coverage and expansion. At the end of the quarter, Grameenphone's total number of sites stood at 19,719. The company paid Tk7,850 crore equaling 69.5 percent of its total revenues, to the national exchequer in the form of taxes, VAT, duties, fees, 4G licence and spectrum assignment during the first nine months of 2022, according to a media statement.

After the resumption of production at the Maddhapara hard rock mine following suspension of operations for more than four months, the company’s Managing Director said on Saturday that like the previous year the mine will make profit in the current fiscal year. Authorities resumed operations at the Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited on Thursday with the imported explosives brought from neighboring India through Beanpole land port, said Abu Daud Mohammad Fariduzzaman, Managing Director of the company. The production of rock from Maddhapara remained suspended due to the crisis of the explosives.  “We are happy that the production is going on. If things are on track, this year the company will make profit like the previous year despite four months of suspension of operations,” he said. Last year, the company, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petrobangla, made Tk35 crore in profit. Petrobangla chairman Nazmul Ahsan, who attended a function through a virtual platform to resume the operation, said on Thursday that they hoped to produce 5000 tons of rock daily, on an average, against a maximum capacity of 5500 tons. Read: After 11 years of losses, Maddhapara mining company turns profitable The Maddhapara mine has been experiencing an explosive crisis, especially, due to the shortage of ammonium nitrate following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Normally, the mine authorities import ammonium nitrate from Belarus to use it in the mine to create a big slice of hard rock through underground explosion.   Officials say about 100 tons of ammonium nitrate reached the mine on Wednesday morning from India while another consignment of 150 tons of the explosives was on the way to the country through Chattogram Seaport port.  At present, Belarusian contractor Germania Trest Consortium (GTC), a state-owned Belarusian company, has remained engaged in the mine for its operation.