Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lanka rupee quoted at 114.05/25 against greenback
Jan 05, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka rupee was quoted at a low of 114.05/25 against the greenback in intra-day trading Monday before recovering on dollar sales by a state bank that usually represents the Central Bank, dealers said.Banks parked 12.8 billion rupees at the central bank through an open market auction at an […]
Sri Lanka shares weaken despite military gains
Jan 05, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares shed early gains to end 1.11 percent weaker Monday despite more military successes against Tamil Tiger rebels, with brokers saying the market is likely to remain quiet until investment funds return.The army made more gains Monday, seizing another town held by the rebels as they pushed deeper […]
Sri Lanka to review forex curbs in April: Central Bank
Jan 05, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka would review restrictions imposed on foreign exchange use in April 2009, the central bank said as the rupee continued to weaken against the greenback on liquidity injections made by the monetary authority. The central bank tightened limits on overnight trading positions of commercial banks, imposed penal interest rates […]
Sri Lanka central bank promises single digit inflation in 2009
Jan 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has promised single digit inflation amid deflationary external conditions and the possibility of a looser stance and lower interest rates in 2009, in its annual road map for monetary policy. In the last few months inflation has been falling with the effects of external deflationary conditions […]
Sri Lanka to give incentives for foreign remittances
Jan 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will give incentives to expatriate citizens to bring their saving home in the form of higher interest rates and lower taxes, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said.But a severe crash crunch in the government has led to a new surge of money printing in December, adding more pressure […]
Sri Lanka govt mulls tax hike on milk powder imports
Jan 02, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is considering increasing customs duties on milk powder imports to take advantage of plunging global prices without raising domestic prices and raise revenue. World prices have plummeted by over 50 percent from a November 2007 high of 4,550 dollars a metric ton of milk powder. “The […]
Sri Lankan rupee slips to 113.90/114.00 to the dollar
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan rupee lost ground Friday and closed the first week of 2009 at 113.90/114.00 against the greenback, dealers said. The rupee opened the day at 113.10/20 to the dollar. Dealers said a large import bill was settled through state bank. They said the market largely ignored news of […]
Sri Lanka inflation seen falling to 8-9% by mid-2009: central bank
Jan 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s inflation rate expected to fall to 8.0 – 9.0 percent by mid-2009, central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said.Cabraal said inflation has been coming down since July 2008 and that inflationary expectations also show signs of moderating. “Also, interest rates are expected to follow the decline in inflation,” Cabraal […]
Sri Lankan stocks rally in anticipation of military triumph
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan retail investors pushed the market up sharply in moderate trade Friday in anticipation government forces had captured the northern Tamil Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi. Brokers said foreign investors might make use of the rally to sellout. Blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) contributed 25.7 million rupees to the […]
”
Jan 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is hoping to hike import taxes as international prices fall to cover part of the cost of a 16 billion rupee ‘stimulus’ announced by the government to boost economic growth in 2009, a top official said. The government announced a series of measures this week, including cheaper diesel […]
Sri Lankan rupee flat
Jan 01, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan rupee closed the first trading day of the new year at 113.10/20 to the dollar in an inactive market, brokers said Thursday. The rupee opened the day at 112.90 to the dollar. The rupee fell dipped towards 113.80 levels earlier in the week but gained after the […]
Sri Lanka inflation at 14.4-pct in December
Dec 31, 2008 (LBO ) – Consumer price inflation in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo fell to 14.4 percent in the 12-months to December from 16.3 percent in November, the government’s statistics office said. In the first half of 2008 inflation was high partly due to effects of loose policy in 2007 and also high inflation […]