Tag: Finance

July 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s foreign trade volumes and a trade gap widened in April 2010 amid as an economic recovery with exports growing 24. 2 percent and imports growing 55. 8 percent, official data showed. Exports grew to 543.5 million US dollars with tea growing 61 percent to 93. 7 million US […]

July 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition poked fun at a budget for 2010 which had less ‘grasping government’ elements in it and was more affordable to the poor, by throwing the ruling coalition’s own slogans of yesteryear, back at it. In 2006, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Chinthana platform justified a spending spree saying […]

July 03, 2010 (LBO) – Standard & Poor’s may upgrade Sri Lanka’s credit when it next reviews the island’s sovereign rating with the resumption of an International Monetary Fund loan and strong foreign reserves, a media report said. “The new budget and continued IMF program are positives,” Benard said. “Still, to have effect on the […]

July 01, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury yields were flat at Wednesday’s auction with the government selling 2. 0 billion more bills to raise fresh cash from the market, the government’s debt office said. The 3-month yield was 8.07 percent, the 6-month yield 8. 93 percent and thee 12-month yield 9.29 percent. The debt […]

July 01, 2010 (LBO) – Lower interest rates and inflation, ending of a war, reduced war risk premiums, strong foreign reserves and better access to foreign capital markets will help exporters cope with the loss of European trade preferences, the Central Bank said. Sri Lanka is due to lose the Generalized System of Preference Plus […]

June 30, 2010 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund has lifted a ceiling on foreign commercial borrowing placed on Sri Lanka in 2009, in a new deal agreed with the government this month. Earlier this month, a part of a maturing 2-year dollar bond tranche was extended to 3-years. Meanwhile the budget presented to parliament […]

June 30, 2010 (LBO) – An expansion of the public service, losses in state enterprises, high oil price and lower than expected global growth could put a government deficit reduction plan at risk, a finance ministry report said. Sri Lanka is planning an 8.0 percent of gross domestic product budget deficit for 2010 down from […]

June 30, 2010 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 4.8 percent in June 2010 from a year earlier, down from 5. 3 percent in May, the fourth straight monthly fall, the government statistics office said. In the month of June the Colombo consumer price index rose 0. 8 percent in absolute […]

June 30, 2010 (LBO) – The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said the Sri Lankan government should involve the private sector when implementing its latest budget proposals which include reforms in taxation, education and administration. The chamber said it was confident that once the proposals are implemented and consistency prevails, it will boost investor confidence and […]

June 29, 2010 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund has released 407.8 million US dollars to Sri Lanka held back after last year’s budget went off the rails, and extended the deal by a year on the promise of more responsible fiscal management this year. The IMF held back the disbursement of a third tranche […]

June 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is planning a budget with a deficit of 8.0 of gross domestic product or 438.3 billion rupees in 2010 compared with 9.9 percent or 476.3 billion rupees in 2009 while there would be a revenue deficit of 2.0 percent or 110.5 billion rupees. The government was planning to […]

June 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has a complex tax structure which is discouraging savings and the government is expecting a comprehensive tax reform plan in August, deputy finance minister Sarath Amunugama said. An interim report from a presidential tax commission has recommended a simplified tax structure which is more equitable and is being […]