Category: Economy and Markets
‘s exchange rate gamble likely to be repeated, ask economists
Sept 21 2009 (LBO) – Will Sri Lanka’s latest balance of payments crisis, triggered by an unstable peg be a lesson for the future, or was it a gamble which was barely won but is doomed to be repeated again, economists at a conference in Colombo asked.Sri Lanka tried to defend a dollar peg when […]
Sri Lanka women workers to face brunt of EU GSP loss
Sept 20, 200 (LBO) – Women workers would be hardest hit if the European Union withdraws duty free market access to Sri Lankan exports, given to countries that meet a governance and a rights threshold set by the trade bloc.The potential loss of the GSP Plus duty concession could lead to job losses if Sri […]
Sri Lanka to use monetary policy tool mix to target inflation: CB official
Sept 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka was ready to change intermediate targets or vary its policy tools dynamically to keep inflation low, a senior central banker said, though the final inflation target is as yet somewhat loosely defined.Sri Lanka’s central bank has a loosely defined inflation target of “single digit”.In 2007 and 2008 Sri […]
Sri Lanka bond deal to JP Morgan, HSBC, RBS
Sept 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s 500 million US dollar bond deal has been given to HSBC, JP Morgan, and Royal Bank of Scotland who will be joint managers and underwriters, the Central Bank said. Foreign fund managers have been pouring into the country’s government bond markets to buy high yielding rupee bonds which […]
Sri Lanka shares becalmed, profit taking seen
Sept 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks ended flat Friday with trading heavy but volatile and some profit taking seen and investors buying blue chips in anticipation of future foreign buying, brokers said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The All Share Price Index […]
Sri Lanka exports fall 18.9-pct, imports 35.3-pct to July
Sept 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka exports fell 18.9 percent in the 7-months to July while imports fell 35.3 percent as a trade contraction continued, while the trade deficit narrowed 6.5 percent to 1,883 million US dollars. In July exports fell 23.1 percent to 652.2 million compared with exceptionally high growth recorded last year, […]
Sri Lankan stocks up 2.05-pct for second consecutive day
Sep 17, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks extended gains Wednesday closing 2.05 percent higher, up 95.8 percent over the beginning of the year, while an initial public offer of a power firm was over subscribed, brokers said.Hemas Power which offered 31.3 million shares to raise 626 million rupees has attracted subscriptions valued at over […]
Sri Lanka gets ADB loan to repair roads after war
Sept 17, 2009 (LBO) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it is giving Sri Lanka a 70 million dollar road rehabilitation loan to support its drive to revitalize two provinces in the north and east. The loan, from ADB’s concessional Asian Development Fund, will fund the upgrade of 370 kilometres of roads and rebuild […]
Sri Lanka pioneer closed-end fund raises Rs1.0bn
Sep 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s first listed closed-ended fund, NAMAL Acuity Fund had been oversubscribed on the opening day and managers said an option to issue additional units will be exercised.Its managers said Wednesday it will issue 10 million units to raise 500 million rupees. The firm was planning to issue 10 million […]
Sri Lankan stocks rebound 1.52-pct
Sep 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares bounced back Wednesday as investors heavily placed bets on index heavy John Keells Holdings (JKH), Distilleries Company and Commercial Bank, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 1.65 percent (46.80points) to end at 2,884.79, while the Milanka index of liquid stocks gained […]
Sri Lanka expands state by 305,000 people since 2004
Sept 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has expanded an already bloated state sector by 305,060 persons since 2004, including 43,981 in 2009, data released by the island’s finance ministry showed.Deputy finance minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said the government was continuing to give state jobs and 1,000 people would be absorbed to state-run Bank of Ceylon […]
Sri Lanka bill yields fall
Sept 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yields fell across maturities at Wednesday’s auction with 3-month yields falling 50 basis points to 10.04 percent the government’s debt office said. The 6-month yield fell 43 basis points to 10.96 percent and the 12-month yield fell 47 basis points to 11.50 percent. The debt office which […]