Asian stocks subdued, dollar hovers near 9-month high

TOKYO, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Asian stocks were subdued early on Monday after Wall Street’s sluggish performance at the end of last week, while the dollar hovered near nine-month highs as fresh comments from a Federal Reserve official boosted bets of a rate hike by year-end. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched […]

Strong growth for Sri Lankan telcos, despite higher taxes: Fitch

Oct 21, 2016 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said Sri Lanka Telecom rating of B+/Negative/AAA(lka)/Stable and Dialog Axiata PLC AAA(lka)/Stable will remain steady despite higher taxes and large capex. “The ratings of both telcos benefit from high headroom capable of absorbing some margin dilution and lower cash generation,” the company’s rating statement said. The stable outlook […]

World Bank raises 2017 forecast for crude oil to USD55 per barrel

Oct 21, 2016 (LBO) – The World Bank is raising its 2017 forecast for crude oil prices to 55 US dollars per barrel from 53 per barrel following OPEC’s preparation to limit production. Energy prices, which include oil, natural gas and coal, are projected to jump almost 25 percent overall next year, a larger increase […]

Asia stocks slip as stronger dollar weighs on crude oil prices

TOKYO, Oct 21 (Reuters) – Asian stocks were mostly lower on Friday as the dollar climbed to seven-month highs against a basket of currencies and dragged down crude oil prices, cooling investor risk appetite. The greenback was boosted by a fall in the euro after the European Central Bank shot down talk it was contemplating […]

UNDP allocates USD 38mn to support dry zone communities in Sri Lanka

Oct 20, 2016 (LBO) – The United Nations Development Programme announced the commencement of a 38.1 million dollar project under the Green Climate Fund to improve agriculture-based livelihoods of farmers in the dry zone. “The project will allow assistance to be provided to 770,000 people in three river basins – Malwatu Oya, Yan Oya and […]

Sri Lankan rupee edges down on importer dollar demand, foreign bond sale

COLOMBO, Oct 20 (Reuters) – The Sri Lankan rupee edged down on Thursday on importer dollar demand and as foreign investors sold bonds in the absence of central bank intervention, said dealers. Rupee forwards were active, with the spot-next at 147.45/55 per dollar as of 0646 GMT, compared with its previous close of 147.40/50. The […]

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(PRESS RELEASE) – Fitch Ratings-Colombo-19 October 2016: Fitch Ratings has assigned Nations Trust Bank PLC’s (NTB: A(lka)/Stable) issue of subordinated debentures of up to LKR5bn a final National LongTerm rating of ‘A-(lka)’. The final rating is the same as the expected rating assigned on 15 September 2016, and follows the receipt of documents conforming to […]

Commercial Bank honoured in USA& Hong Kong

(PRESS RELEASE) – As the financial year draws to a close, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been presented with two more significant global awards in Washington DC and Hong Kong. Commercial Bank Chairman Mr Dharma Dheerasinghe and Managing Director Mr Jegan Durairatnam received the Global Finance award for the Best Bank in Sri Lanka […]

Asian stocks ride US momentum, oil near 15-month high

SINGAPORE, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Asian stocks advanced on Thursday, propelled by strong U.S. earnings and oil prices near a 15-month high, as the third and final U.S. presidential debate before the Nov. 8 election got underway. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.25 percent. Japan’s Nikkei extended gains to 0.9 percent. […]

Asian shares manage muted cheer for China growth

SYDNEY, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Asian shares held early gains on Wednesday as a barrage of Chinese data confirm the economy had stabilised on the back of government spending and a hot housing market, even if worries about debt continue to mount. The initial reaction was muted with few fireworks in the figures and Shanghai […]

Asian stocks lifted by firmer oil prices; dollar steady

HONG KONG, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Asian stocks crept up on Tuesday thanks to a rebound in oil prices and the dollar consolidated recent gains although underlying risk appetite was cautious on concerns over capital outflows and weak data, especially from China. Special focus will be on China’s B Share market, which was trading up […]

Fitch downgrades PABC, Affirms four small and mid-sized banks

Oct 17, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Fitch has downgraded Pan Asia Banking Corporation’s (PABC) National Long-Term Rating to ‘BBB-(lka)’ from ‘BBB(lka)’ and confirmed ratings of four small, mid-size banks, a statement said. The Outlook on PABC is revised to Stable from Negative, the rating agency said in a statement. The National Long-Term Ratings on […]

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