Category: Economy and Markets
Central Bank expresses its strong objection to statement released by Fitch Ratings
Nov 21, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says that it strongly objects to the statement released by Fitch Ratings today as it depicts the complete opposite of the realised positive market response, followed by the assumption of duties by the President. Releasing a statement, the Central Bank said the domestic foreign exchange market, […]
Sri Lanka election result increases policy uncertainty: Fitch Ratings
Nov 21, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s presidential election significantly increases policy uncertainty and could prompt loosening that exacerbates fiscal weaknesses and a rollback of reforms, Fitch Ratings says. However, whether these risks materialise remains to be seen as a clear policy direction may only start to emerge after parliamentary elections. Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the […]
Ceylinco Life unfazed by conditions, posts impressive 9-month results
PBT up 54.8% to Rs 5.8 billion on net income of Rs 22.8 billion Net premium income grows 5.5% to Rs 13.3 billion Life Fund increases by 4.8% to Rs 92.3 billion Ceylinco Life has posted robust income and profit growth for the nine months ending 30th September 2019, continuing the Company’s sector-leading performance into […]
EASA extends SriLankan Engineering’s maintenance certification
Nov 19, 2019 (LBO) – The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended an important certification of SriLankan Engineering, the aircraft Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul (MRO) arm of SriLankan Airlines, following a comprehensive audit. The reaffirmation of the EASA Part-145 certification strengthens SriLankan Engineering’s positioning as a key provider of aircraft maintenance and engineering services for airlines throughout […]
Sri Lanka stocks up after GR election victory
Nov 18, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s All Share Index rose 94 points or 1.56 percent to 6,117 points in the first half of the day of trading following the election victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the new President. Stock indexes were up across the board with index heavy John Keells Holdings showing a gain […]
Norges Bank exits from Access Engineering’s top 20 shareholders list
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Norway’s sovereign wealth fund managed by the Norwegian Central Bank, Norges Bank has exited from Access Engineering’s top 20 shareholders list during the September quarter, the company’s interim data showed. Norges Bank held 13,973,487 shares as of 30 June 2019 and was its 14th shareholder in the top 20 shareholders […]
ComBank Group posts net profit growth of 21.2-pct for Q3
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Significant improvements in the third quarter, which positively impacted its year-to-date performance, have enabled the Commercial Bank Group to post creditable results for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Comprising of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, its subsidiaries and associates, the Group reported operating profit before taxes on financial […]
Sri Lanka Prosperity Index increased in 2018 with improvements in all sub-indices
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Prosperity Index (SLPI) that measures the level of prosperity of the country increased to 0.783 in 2018 from 0.548 recorded in 2017, the Central Bank data showed. SLPI is a composite indicator compiled by the Statistics Department of the Central Bank and comprises three sub-indices measured using 43 […]
Hayleys Group delivers improved performance in 2Q 2019/20
Nov 14, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s diversified conglomerate, the Hayleys Group, posted improvements in turnover, operating performance and overall profitability during the 2nd quarter of 2019/20 supported by the strong performance of its export businesses. Meanwhile, the Group also recorded an improvement in turnover and operating profit for the 1H of 2019/20, although overall […]
‘s stocks move up, but foreigners sell Rs1.5bn ahead of Presidential election
November 13, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stock market was strong ahead of Sri Lanka’s impending Presidential election to be held on Saturday November 16th. The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) major indices were up roughly .5% on relatively heavy turnover of Rs2bn (US$11mn). However, despite what appeared to be positive sentiments, foreigners took the other […]
Sri Lankan banks facing pressure on credit profiles, rising NPLs: Fitch Ratings
Nov 13, 2019 (LBO) – Pressure on Sri Lankan banks’ financial profiles due to challenging operating conditions became more apparent in the banks’ 1H19 results, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. According to the new report, the sector’s non-performing loans (NPLs) continued to rise rapidly, up 39 percent in 1H19 (64% in 2018) and […]
Sri Lanka nominated for destination of the year award in UK for technology: SLASSCOM
Nov 13, 2019 (LBO) – SLASSCOM announced that Sri Lanka has been nominated for this prestigious award by the Global Sourcing Association (GSA). The Delivery Destination of the Year Award was established to champion best practice in sourcing programmes and to recognise and reward delivery destinations that deliver excellent results and value-add to the strategic […]