Category: Special Reports

Over US$ 300mn in Foreign Direct Investment is expected by the end of the year, one of the highest inflows during recent years. The national investment promotion agency BOI says that the country is now attracting investments from all over the world with strong inflows from the Asian region.rnStrategies to attract investments are also seeing […]

Earnings for Taj Lanka Hotels Ltd., the owners of Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo and Taj Exotica Hotel in Bentota, are expected to top Rs.155 mn for the financial year 2003/4.rn rnLanka Orix Securities in a research report says Taj Lanka Ltd will also greatly benefit from the ongoing tourism boom and falling interest rates, […]

Following BCGs recommendations, JKH is building a new property development unit to push up returns from its extensive real estate holdings.rn rnWith a free float adjusted market capitalisation of US$ 157.9 mn after its recent bonus issue, JKH now qualifies to climb aboard the Morgan Stanley Capital Indexs Emerging Markets Index, says Hasitha Premaratne, Research […]

Following the legacy of the famous De Beers diamonds and Tahitian pearls, is a test bed range of branded lquote Sriya Ceylon sapphires, as Sri Lanka stakes its claim in world gem markets. Developed by a British designer and collectively sponsored by industry, this is Sri Lankas first attempt to brand its high quality and […]

But, Hasitha Premaratne, HNBs Research Manager says, the lack of liquidity and a low free float market capitalisation, is holding Hemas back from rubbing shoulders with other top conglomerates like the John Keells Holdings Group.rn rnClick here for full research report:rnAptly describing the Hemas Group as a lquote small wonder, HNB Stockbrokers talks about the […]

Top trade delegations from around the world will meet in the Mexican city of Cancun, at a meeting billed by many to be one that can drastically change world trade patterns.But developed and developing countries will have to agree on a large variety of issues from opening up their agricultural sectors to protecting intellectual property […]

Sri Lanka used to be the fifth largest rubber supplier to the world a few years ago. But synthetic rubber manufacturers took over the market as age-old production processes left natural rubber producers helpless. But now the industry is changing face.A locally manufactured industrial rubber has got oversea buyers ready to bargain.rn rnLankaprene rubber is […]

Its the most talked about conglomerate with diverse interest that reflects the Sri Lankan economy. The bluechip conglomerate is also the biggest stock currently listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. rnrnrnrnrnrnNew Page 1rnrnrnrnrn Butrnthis giant elephant is trimming the fat and rationalising operations under thernChairmanship of Vivendra Lintotawela. John Keells Holdings recently hired thernBoston Consultancy […]

New technology from web enabled mobile phones to communication tools like email is changing the way people access information.Although the Internet and other digital technologies are fast becoming the primary source of information delivery, they are still not widely used for education.rn rnThe book and classroom based education system is however slowly changing.rn rnInteractive e-learning […]

Taxi fares have been falling rapidly even as associated costs like fuel, telephone and vehicle prices have rocketed. Take look at a typical Colombo wall with posters.Take a closer look at the posters and you start to notice patterns. rn rnPatterns of numbers. rn rnWhat is funny about these numbers is that they are catchy […]

Often exploited, fought over, and colossally under priced, water has become the stuff of international politics. As Sri Lanka wages peace, it is wading through its own issues of sharing and trading its water between new regional boundaries. Water management to date has unfortunately been everyones responsibility, with a staggering 40 different Acts and 20 […]

Demand for credit has been on a steady rise this year with the Central Bank saying that growth year-on-year could hit 13% -almost double the last years figure.Bankers who are reporting healthy profits for the half year just ended however say demand could still improve and that the big contributions to the bottomline is still […]