Sri Lanka president warns of external fallout

Feb 04, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa warned of possible fallouts from a weak global economy during a speech to mark the island’s independence from British rule. “The economic crises in the world also affect our country,” the English text of President Rajapaksa’s speech delivered in Anuradhapura, an ancient capital of the […]

Sri Lanka has to fix SOE losses reduce currency pressure: IMF

Feb 04, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has to fix losses in key state enterprises as part of polices to slow credit and arrest the loss of foreign reserves, the International Monetary Fund said. “There was broad agreement that a decisive policy response was needed to put the economy on a sounder footing, especially given […]

Sri Lanka shares end down 0.3-pct

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed weaker Friday for the fourth straight day in dull trade despite the central bank announcing it was allowing foreign firms to give margin loans for share trading, brokers said. SC Securities said the main contributor to turnover was trading in Commercial Bank which closed at 100.50 […]

Sri Lanka Keells Hotels net up 39-pct in December

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Keells Hotels Plc, the leisure unit of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings group said net profits in the December 2011 quarter rose 39 percent to 285 million rupees from a year earlier. The firm reported earnings of 20 cents per share. For the nine months to December the firm said […]

Sri Lanka tea farmers hurt by Middle East unrest

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lankan small farmers are suffering because of a downturn in demand for tea from key markets in the Middle East owing to political unrest, an industry official said. Goonetilleke said 2012 had not started off well for the tea growers and factories producing low grown teas whose main market […]

Sri Lanka Textured Jersey December quarter net down 29-pct

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Textured Jersey Lanka, a unit of Brandix, an apparel export group, said net profit fell 29 percent in the December 2011 quarter from a year ago. Net profit in the nine months ending December 31, 2011 fell 11 percent to 409 million rupees from a year ago. Sales […]

Sri Lanka monetary tightening welcomed by IMF – Update

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – A hike in rates and a credit ceiling to rein in loan growth would help narrow a widening external deficit in Sri Lanka, but exchange rate flexibility should be part of the policy package, the International Monetary Fund said. Strong credit growth put pressure on Sri Lanka’s peg with the […]

Sri Lanka mounts an interest rate defence on peg

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank hiked rates by 50 basis points to 9. 0 percent mounting an interest rate defence of its peg with the US dollar, and slapped a credit ceiling as foreign reserves fell by a quarter in 2011 due to high loan growth. The Central Bank said its […]

‘s drainage, wetlands boosted with World Bank credit

Feb 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will boost drainage to reduce flooding and improve the wetlands around the capital Colombo in a 223 million dollar project which will be mostly financed with a World Bank credit. The government has negotiated a 213 million dollar credit to develop the Colombo metropolitan area under the Metro […]

Sri Lanka shares end down 1.4-pct

Feb 02, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed weaker Thursday for the third straight day after a brief recent rally, with warrants in Environmental Resources Investments plunging 71 percent with the regulator imposing trading restrictions from February 03. The main All Share Price Index closed down 1.35 percent (76.84 points) at 5,605.49, while the […]

Trade Links

Feb 02, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s southern expressway linking the capital Colombo with the south is to be extended to link the eastern port town of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka Ports Authority chairman Priyath Wickrama said. The move is part of a plan to improve the transport infrastructure to give manufacturers fast connectivity, he told […]

Express Fitness

Feb 02, 2012 (LBO) – A large number of vehicles breaking down on Sri Lanka’s first expressway may require motorists to get roadworthiness certificates to use the road, as traffic picked up steadily, an official said. From about 4,000 vehicles a day in December, usage has now increased to 7,200 by end January. Sri Lanka’s […]

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