Author: lbostgadmin
Spreading Out
Mar 10, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Sampath Bank said it plans to set up 40 branches this year, including some in the former north-east war zone, hire more staff and look for mergers as margins get thinner. Sampath Bank chairman I W Senanayake said they opened 40 new branches in 2010 alone, adding to […]
Sri Lanka stocks close 0.5-pct higher
Mar 10, 2011(LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks rose 0. 55 percent Thursday with more retail activity and some selective buying also seen by institutions, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 7,383. 92, up 0.55 percent (40.47 points) while the Milanka Price Index of more liquid stocks closed at 6,879. 24, up 0.47 […]
Sri Lanka UK post-war trade gets trade credit cover boost
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Britain is seeing more inquiries from firms who want to do business with Sri Lanka and is standing by to back deals with export credit cover which has been enhanced after the end of a 30-year war, an official said. ECGD gives political risk insurance to cut the risk of […]
Sri Lanka moves to cut taxes
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers has approved changes to several laws reducing taxes paid by companies and individuals to give effect to proposals in the government’s 2011 budget, a statement said. “With the introduction of these changes, the number of taxes payable by a person will get reduced, resulting in […]
Lubricant Shift
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Nawaloka ABC Petroleum, which entered the lubricant market recently, says the price-driven lubricant market is shifting towards quality and growing after a slowdown. With the increase of vehicles in the local market due to tax cuts we see that consumers are more into performance and quality-based product, said […]
Lofty Monitor
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to use satellite technology to monitor distribution of petroleum products to fuel retail stations from storage terminals to prevent theft and contamination, a statement said. Petroleum industries ministry secretary Titus Jayawardena said the bowser drivers will not be allowed to deviate from official routes during distribution nor […]
India car sales jump 23%
MUMBAI, March 9, 2011 (AFP) – Car sales in India jumped nearly 23 percent in February from a year earlier, industry data showed Wednesday, as customers snapped up new models in a booming auto market where loans are cheap. The Indian market, Asia’s third-largest, is projected to triple over the next decade to six million […]
Connectivity Cost
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s new information and communication technology plan for 2011-1016 advocates further cuts in high-speed broadband communication costs with the aim of increasing ICT business and creating more jobs. Present broadband charges which are higher than competitor countries are deterring foreign ICT and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms from setting […]
Galleon Trial
NEW YORK, March 8, 2011 (AFP) – The trial of former hedge fund tycoon Raj Rajaratnam began Tuesday in New York with the painstaking selection of a jury in a case prosecutors see as an example of Wall Street corruption and greed. Sri Lankan-born Rajaratnam, 53, used insider information at his Galleon Group fund to […]
Sri Lanka tea exporter presses for imports for blending
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Finlays Colombo has urged Sri Lankan authorities to allow more tea imports for blending saying it could lose market share by not catering to growing consumer demand for multi-origin blended teas. Chairman Kumar Jayasuriya said the firm, part of the UK’s Swire group, has been lobbying along with other tea […]
Sri Lanka shares fall for third straight day
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares fell for the third straight day Wednesday as investors raised cash for new issues and settled broker credit with a correction expected after the market hit record highs, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 7,343.45, down 1.38 percent (102.45 points) while the more liquid […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields steady
Mar 09, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yields stayed flat at the weekly auction with the government rolling over 11 billion rupees in maturing bills, a statement said. The government’s debt office, which is a unit of the Central Bank, said the three-month yields remained at 6.97 percent, six-month yields at 7. 05 percent […]