Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lanka to protect Colombo from floods with Chinese finance
Mar 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will build a flood protection system for parts of the capital Colombo with Chinese funding, a government minister said. Colombo suburbs of Kotte, Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia, Maharagama, Kesbewa and Moratuwa will be protected from storm water flooding by the project, minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris said. The 6,800 million rupees […]
‘s foreign commercial debt more than doubles in 2009
Mar 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s foreign commercial debt has risen dramatically in 2009 as lender confidence increased after a deal with the International Monetary Fund and the fiscal deficit expanded, official data shows. Sri Lanka’s total commercial debt, including defence loans accrued during a war with Tamil Tigers which ended in May 2009, […]
Sri Lanka shares end up 0.48-pct
Mar 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed closed firmer Friday with investors buying into hotels which are seen doing well given the upturn in tourist arrivals, but foreigners remained net sellers for the week, brokers said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The […]
Sri Lanka guarantees Rs50bn in new credit to state entities in 2009
Mar 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has guaranteed 52 billion rupees in credit to state entities in 2009 from state-run banks with loss making energy utilities and airlines getting tens of billions in new loan facilities, a finance ministry report said. State-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has been supported with a 25 billion rupee […]
Sri Lanka state to pay extra to local contractors
Feb 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government will allow local contractors to bid 15 percent higher than foreign ones in state projects paid for with money raised from the people domestically, a government minister said. There has been some unhappiness among local contractors at projects funded by China which are built by Chinese contractors […]
Sri Lankan stocks end up, Asian Alliance stake sold
March 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed up Thursday and passed the 3,800 points mark as investors bought midcap and selected high value shares, while a big stake in Asian Alliance Insurance changed hands, brokers said. John Keells Holdings closed at 168.00 rupees, down 75 cents, and Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka closed […]
Sri Lankan stocks close 1.22-pct down
Mar 03, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed down Wednesday as retail investors took profits ahead of the general elections, while institutional investors took strategic stakes in high valued companies, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 3,774.03, down 46.63 points while the Milanka index of more liquid shares fell 1.61 percent […]
China leads Sri Lanka foreign lenders in 2009: fiscal report
Mar 03, 2010 (LBO) – China became the top donor to commit aid to Sri Lanka in 2009 lining up more than half the total with 1. 2 billion US dollars, though Japan was still slightly ahead in actual disbursements, a finance ministry report said. A pre-election fiscal report issued this week ahead of parliamentary […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields up, amid monetization
Mar 03, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s 3-month Treasury bill yields moved up 12 basis points to 8. 38 percent at Wednesday’s auction, but only a part of maturing bills was sold to real buyers, the government’s debt office said. By the first week of February the central bank’s Treasury bill stock had climbed to […]
Sri Lanka employers should have closer dialogue with workers: ILO
Mar 02, 2010 (LBO) – Businesses can ride out economic downturns easier by having stronger relations with their workers through collective bargaining; an approach used countries like in Germany, an International Labour Organization (ILO) official said. Curtis was speaking at the tripartite workshop on freedom of association in collective bargaining in Sri Lanka, Nepal, the […]
Sri Lanka overall budget deficit nears 10.3-pct of GDP in 2009
Mar 02, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s budget deficit for 2009 has exceeded 10.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), with a planned 7.0 percent deficit derailed by weak revenues and sharply higher expenditure, a finance ministry report said. The pre-election fiscal report said the revenue deficit (the gap between total revenues and current expenditure) […]
Sri Lanka plans 8-pct budget deficit for 2010: fiscal report
Mar 02, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is planning a budget with a deficit of about eight percent of gross domestic product for 2010, a finance ministry report said, after provisional data said the 2009 gap has increased to over ten percent of the economy. In 2009 the government hoped to run a deficit of […]