Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lankan rupee falls on capital outflow fears; stocks weaker
Nov 16, 2016 (Reuters) – The Sri Lankan rupee was marginally weaker on Wednesday on fears that higher interest rates in the U.S. under incoming President Donald Trump would spark capital outflows from the domestic market. Expectations that Trump’s administration will cut taxes, increase spending and accelerate inflation have lifted the dollar and driven bond […]
Janashakthi reports Profit Before Tax of Rs.894 million in nine months ended 30th September
(PRESS RELEASE) – Janashakthi Insurance PLC (Janashakthi) reported a consolidated Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs.894 million for the nine months ended 30th September 2016, a remarkable growth of 131% over the same period in 2015. Consolidated Gross Written Premiums (GWP), which stood at Rs.9.8 billion at the end of the period in review, […]
Asia shares win reprieve as bond rout pauses for now
TOKYO, Nov 16 (Reuters) – MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2 percent in early trade on Wednesday, bouncing back from a four-month low touched the previous day. Asian shares won the reprieve from a rally in Wall Street shares as the sell-off in global bonds and sharp gains in the […]
Sri Lankan market crowded, Asian telcos under pressure in 2017: Fitch
Nov 15, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka continues to be a crowded market with five operators serving a population of 21 million and set for consolidation, Fitch Ratings said in a statement. “We expect industry consolidation in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, as weaker telcos exit the market or seek mergers and acquisition to strengthen […]
Sri Lanka budget promotes inclusive growth: Lanka Securities
Nov 15, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s budget 2017 promotes inclusive growth with an emphasis on education, infrastructure, SMEs and incentives for business, although growth and deficit targets seem ambitious, Lanka Securities said in a research note. “The projected 6.7 percent growth in economy, in our opinion is quite ambitious given the volatility in the […]
Asia stocks under pressure as dollar hovers near 14-year high
HONG KONG, Nov 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar hovered near on a 14-year high on Tuesday and Treasury yields extended their rise as investors braced for higher inflation in the United States amid expectations of fiscally expansionary polices under Donald Trump’s presidency. The combination of the two have derailed Asian currencies and equities, […]
Sri Lanka foreign reserves drop by USD395mn in Oct: Central Bank
Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s official reserves dropped 394.6 million US dollars to 6.1 billion dollars in October, down from 6.5 billion dollars at the end of September, official Central Bank data showed. Foreign currency reserves were 5.1 billion US dollars and reserves in Gold were 0.91 billion US dollars. Central Bank has […]
Sri Lanka to introduce new law protecting foreign reserves
Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has proposed to introduce a new Foreign Exchange Act to protect foreign reserves from irregular transactions. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament yesterday that the current Exchange Control Act will be repealed for this purpose. An Investment Inflow Management Act will be introduced to facilitate the inward remittance […]
Sri Lankan rupee weaker as regional currencies drop
Nov 11, 2016 (Reuters) – The Sri Lankan rupee edged down on Friday, in line with a selloff in emerging market currencies, as investors feared higher U.S. interest rates under incoming President Donald Trump will spark capital outflows from those markets. The weakness in the rupee followed Sri Lanka’s budget proposals on Thursday to revise […]
Education a priority, free tablets for students: Budget
Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will prioritize education and give free tablet computers to students and teachers in 2017, the government said in budget proposals for next year. Almost 175,000 A Level students and 28,000 teachers will receive tablet computers in 2017, for which five billion rupees has been allocated. Sri Lanka has […]
Sri Lanka budget 2017: tax and revenue proposals
Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake in his Budget 2017 speech in parliament Thursday proposed several measures to improve government revenue. “To increase the direct tax component to 40 percent from around 20 percent at present and gradually reduce the indirect taxes to 60 percent from around 80 percent in the medium term,” […]
Asian shares dip, soaring US bond yields rattle emerging markets
TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Asian shares dipped while the dollar strengthened broadly on Friday as U.S. bond yields soared on expectations U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s policies would stoke inflation. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.2 percent, with Korean shares off 0.5 percent. Australian shares eked out small gains of 0.1 […]