Category: Economy and Markets
Bitter with West, Sri Lanka turns East for cash and support
May 4, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan government is increasingly tilting towards Iran, Libya and China for foreign aid as its traditional Western allies ramp up their criticism of the war against Tamil rebels. Many Western nations have outlawed the Tamil Tigers and cut off their funding networks, but the Colombo administration is deeply […]
Sri Lanka business told to watch out for bad debt
May 04, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan businesses should be more cautious and assess customer creditworthiness more often, when doing business during a recession, a senior corporate executive said. They should watch out for bad debts as during such times previously solvent customers can quickly become insolvent, says Chemanex chief executive Preethi Jayawardena who was […]
Sri Lanka shares buoyed by institutional buying
May 04, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares ended firmer Monday, lifted by investments from institutional investors taking a long-term view as the rupee remained becalmed around 120.00 – 120.10 against the dollar, brokers and dealers said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The All […]
Sri Lanka IMF loan would not be delayed on politics: central bank
May 2, 2009 (LBO) – Technical levels discussions for Sri Lanka’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan have now been finalized and with the UN Security Council also not standing in the way, there would be no further delays, a senior central banker said. Media reports indicated the United States, which has substantial say in IMF […]
Sri Lanka troops tighten siege of Tamil rebels
May 1, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan government troops have tightened their siege of the last strip of land on the island still controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels and are poised for a final assault, the military said Friday.Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told AFP that two columns of troops had consolidated positions along a […]
Sri Lanka hosts IMF team as loan deal nears
April 30, 2009 (LBO) – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) ‘Safeguards Assessment’ mission is in Sri Lanka as talks on a 1.9 billion dollar loan nears its final stages, the central bank said in a statement.“The Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) facility sought by the government of Sri Lanka from the IMF has now reached an advanced […]
Sri Lanka close to getting 15-year loan from Libya: CB Governor
April 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is close to finalizing a 500 million US dollar long-term loan from Libya, Central Bank governor Nivard Cabraal who is visiting the country for discussions on the government-to-government credit, said.In a telephone interview from Rome Thursday, Cabraal said Sri Lanka was negotiating a 15-year year loan with a […]
Sri Lankan stocks gain on retail interest
Apr 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan retail investors pushed up shares for the second straight day on thin volumes, while the rupee strengthened from around 120.50 in spot trade to 120.00/10 by mid-day, brokers and dealers said. The All Share Price Index of the Colombo stock gained 0.46 percent (8.36 points) to end at […]
Sri Lanka inflation slows to 2.9-pct in April
April 30, 2009 (LBO) – Consumer inflation in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, in the 12-months to April slowed to 2.9 percent from 5.3 percent in March, with prices declining for the seventh straight month, the statistics office said.The Colombo Consumer Prices Index (CCPI) has been declining on an absolute basis from October after peaking at […]
Sri Lanka begins re-settling war displaced
April 30, 2009 (AFP) – About 400 Sri Lankan civilians returned home on Thursday two years after being forced to flee by fighting in the country’s ethnic conflict, the United Nations refugee agency said. Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the government was hoping to resettle all Tamil civilians within a year as […]
Sri Lanka treasuries yields plunge
April 29, 2009 (LBO) – Yields on Sri Lanka’s treasuries plunged across the board at the weekly auction Wednesday with the 12-month yield falling 135 basis points to 14.05 percent, the government’s debt office said. The 6-month yield fell 95 basis points to 13.95 percent, and the 3-month yield fell 73 basis points to 12.65 […]
Sri Lanka shares up 1.5-pct, rupee steady
Apr 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks rebounded across the board Wednesday, as investor sentiment improved, while the rupee remained steady against the greenback, dealers said.Conglomerate JKH has interests in transport, finance, property development, retail and food processing sectors. Mobile giant Dialog Telekom, subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia, closed flat at 5.25, while fixed line […]