Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lanka stocks edge higher
Dec 24, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed slightly firmer Thursday ahead of the Christmas break, brokers said. Dankotuwa Porcelain, a tableware exporter that has been making losses after exports were hit by recession, was the most actively traded stock, and closed at 11.75, up 50 cents. The Colombo all share price index ended […]
Sri Lanka foreign reserves steady at US$5.2bn by Dec 18
Dec 23, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves were steady at 5.2 billion US dollars by December 18, boosted by foreign inflows into debt markets and International Monetary Fund loans, the Central Bank said. But lately the Central Bank’s bill stock has started climbing and foreign reserve increases are also now tapering off. In […]
Sri Lankan shares fall on profit taking
Dec 23, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed down Wednesday as investors took profits ahead of the festive season, while high interest on conglomerate John Keells Holdings (JKH) and Asian Hotels pushed turnover over a billion rupees, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed down 0.45 percent (14.82 points) to […]
Sri Lanka in talks with ADB on emergency loan
Dec 23, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is seeking a 150 million dollar emergency assistance loan from the Asian Development Bank that could help start urgent projects, especially in the former war zone, officials said. These include power supply schemes and refurbishment of hospitals in Mullaithivu and Kilinochchi, two towns that were former Tamil Tiger […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields, CB T-bill stock up
Dec 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yields edged up marginally at Tuesday’s auction the government’s debt office said, while the Treasury bill stock held by the Central Bank continued to climb. The 3-month yield edged up 07 basis points to 7. 67 percent, the 6-month yield was also up exactly 07 percent, and […]
Sri Lanka stocks hit new high, up 1.44-pct
Dec 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up Tuesday as investors continued buying into the market to cash in on an anticipated market re-rating following presidential elections next month, brokers said.The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 1.44 percent (46.54 points) to end at 3,280.82 while the Milanka index of […]
Sri Lanka banks gain as stocks hit new high
Dec 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks closed at a new high Monday, up 1.43 percent, with banks drawing interest as retail investors re-entered the market, gaining confidence from last few week’s foreign trading, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 1.43 percent (45.46 points) to end at 3,234, […]
Sri Lanka gains service sector jobs in 3Q: official survey
Dec 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has generated 234,000 service sector jobs in the third quarter of 2009 from a year earlier, though 89,000 jobs were lost in industry, and 240,000 were lost in the farming sector, a government survey showed. Fernando says there are a large number of seasonal workers in agriculture. Industry […]
Sri Lanka to get $350mn ADB aid next year
Dec 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to get about 350 million US dollars of aid from the Asian Development Bank next year, much of it going for the north and east which was ravaged by war, a senior official said. The ADB forecasts Sri Lanka’s economy will grow by about 4-4.5 percent this […]
Sri Lanka firms should look overseas for expansion: corporate leader
Dec 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan businesses are compelled to look overseas to expand sales as the domestic market is too small, a senior corporate executive said, calling for government policies to support expansion abroad. Inward-looking economic policies are making it difficult for firms to build their own brands, said Ranjith Page, chief executive […]
Sri Lanka to change price index basket next year
Dec 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will change the basket of goods in its most widely watched price index from next year and re-base it to reflect consumption patterns of a newer survey, an official said.The revised index itself was made ‘official’ suddenly at the height of an inflation bubble in April 2008, when […]
Sri Lanka call to end tax exemptions for public servants
Dec 18, 2009 (LBO) – The head of Sri Lanka’s top business chamber has called for an end to tax exemptions given to public servants, saying it was unfair by hardworking private sector employees and also eroded government revenue.A discriminatory import duty structure that favours politically powerful local business interests against all consumers in the […]