Category:
Sri Lanka fabric maker hit by high cotton prices, lower sales
Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Kuruwita Textile Mills said it made a net loss of 125 million rupees in the June 2010 quarter as it was hit by record high cotton prices and less demand. Sales fell almost five percent to 1.3 billion rupees over the period, the company, a unit of clothing […]
Sri Lanka govt says preventing rupee appreciation to help exporters
Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is preventing the further appreciation of the rupee against the dollar to support exporters after the loss of a trade deal giving duty free access to the European market, a spokesman said. “We held a number of discussions with manufacturers. After 10 years of tariff preferences […]
Sri Lanka war hero braced for jail term
August 19, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka said Thursday he expects the government to put him behind bars to end his political career after a court martial convicted him. Fonseka, who led troops to victory in the island’s 37-year ethnic conflict last year, said the government was seeking revenge for […]
Sri Lanka gets Japan, ADB help to restore livelihoods of families affected by war
Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan are providing financial aid to help Sri Lanka restore infrastructure and provide livelihood training for thousands of people displaced by war, a statement said. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, administered by ADB, is extending a 2.5 million US dollar grant for a […]
Sri Lanka central bank cuts reverse repurchase rate
Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank said it has cut its reverse repurchase rate by 50 basis points to nine percent with immediate effect, while keeping the repurchase rate steady at 7. 25 percent to support an economic recovery as inflation eased. “While inflationary pressures in the domestic economy have continued to […]
Sri Lanka former war zone economy transformation seen
Aug 20, 2010 (LBO) – Northern Sri Lanka, where education was highly valued before war retarded its growth, has potential to be transformed into a ‘knowledge economy’ from its traditional agrarian cum fisheries base, a statement said. An open forum on ‘Pathways to Knowledge-based Development’ in northern Jaffna is being organised by the Point Pedro […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields slip further
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury bill yields slipped further at Wednesday’s auction, down by between 24 basis points to 36 basis points with one year yields slipping the most, results from the government debt office showed. The debt office sold 1.250 billion rupees in 3-month bills, 4.535 billion rupees in 6-month yields […]
Sri Lankan stocks close up 2.71-pct, pass 5,500 points mark
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks broke new ground yet again this week and passed 5,500 points, Thursday, from gains across the board on low volume trading, brokers said. Hemas Holdings closed at 40.00 rupees, up 30 cents (0.76 percent) and John Keells Holdings, an index heavy stock closed at 258.00 rupees, 1.00 […]
Rural Competition
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – India’s Mahindra and Mahindra group plans to enter Sri Lanka’s financial sector, especially the rural areas, officials said. There were “imminent opportunities in financial services’, said Ramesh Iyer, managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services. “Capital is not a constraint in terms of wanting to grow in Sri Lanka. […]
Bank Trends
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – National Development Bank (NDB) June quarter profits fell 17. 9 percent to 434.7 million rupees, due to a fall in fee-based incomes, while personal, premises and operating costs have gone up, a stock exchange filing said. NDB group’s interest income had come down 16. 4 percent to 2.45 billion rupees, […]
Inside Information
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank is violating its own good governance code when a pension fund it manages buys stakes in banks and financial institutions which it regulates, an economist and opposition parliamentarian said. Harsha de Silva said he was “appalled” at the statement by the Central Bank that the Employees […]
Bank Profits
Aug 19, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan unit of Standard Chartered Bank’s (SCB) June quarter profits shot up 679 percent to 8. 773 billion rupees on a specific loan loss provision reversal on an oil hedging deal, its published accounts showed. SCB’s interest income fell 32 percent to 3. 41 billion rupees, while interest […]