Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lankan shares up 1.37-pct
Aug 27, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up on Thursday led by hotel stocks and index-heavy John Keells Holdings which close up despite foreign selling, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 1.37 percent (35.01 points) to close at 2,588.04 while the Milanka index of liquid stocks gained […]
Sri Lanka war, BOP crisis no longer hurt rating; budgets a problem: Fitch official
Aug 27, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s internal conflict and a balance of payments crisis that led to a rating downgrade and a negative outlook have now been wiped off the slate, but weak state revenues and high national debt are hurting Sri Lanka’s rating, a senior Fitch official said. In April 2008, Fitch downgraded […]
Sri Lanka draws Japanese investor interest
Aug 26, 2009 (LBO) – A 40-member Japanese trade and investment mission is due to visit Sri Lanka in November 2009 following the end of the island’s 30-year ethnic war, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said.Members of the mission during their visit will take part in the Japan – Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee meeting […]
Sri Lanka pro-poor effort hit by political interference: ADB
Aug 26, 2009 (LBO) – Political interference and overlapping functions of government agencies have seriously weakened Sri Lanka’s efforts to help the poor and might even perpetuate poverty, a new Asian Development Bank report says. The public sector is too big, confused and lacks accountability, the report on ‘Poverty and human development in Sri Lanka’ […]
Sri Lankan stocks up 0.22-pct
Aug 26, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up on Wednesday as investors eyed selected blue chip and hotel counters looking to profit from a possible resurgence in the medium term, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 0.22 percent (5.59 points) to end at 2,553.03 while the Milanka […]
Sri Lanka T-bill yeilds frozen for third week
Aug 26, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury bill yields were frozen at the weekly auction for the third week running, in auction where 10.1 billion rupees out of a maturing 12.0 billion was sold to the market, the government’s debt office said.The 3-month yield stayed at 10.57 percent, the 6-month yield at 11.43 percent […]
Sri Lanka foreign reserves US$3.2bn: CB governor
Aug 25, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves have topped 3.2 billion dollars after a large inflow into the country’s government securities market, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. “You will see enormous opportunities,” Cabraal told a forum on Islamic financial instruments organized by Rating Agency Malaysia in Colombo. “There will be extraordinary positions […]
” by S&P
Aug 25, 2009 (LBO) – Standard & Poor’s has lifted the outlook on Sri Lanka’s speculative ‘B’ sovereign rating to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ on expectations of better policy under an International Monetary Fund program and capital inflows. A sovereign rating measures the creditworthiness of the government. Sri Lanka’s high spending governments, that frequently borrows from […]
Sri Lanka central bank domestic assets fall
Aug 25, 2009 (LBO) – Treasury bills, a key domestic asset component at Sri Lanka’s central bank, plummeted following an unusual deal with a US fund manager which effectively swapped them for hard currency. According to official data released Monday the Central Bank’s Treasury bills stock which represented money printed for the government during a […]
Sri Lanka firms told socially responsible investing does pay
Aug 25, 2009 (LBO) – Companies should look closely at socially responsible business practices as they are more profitable and opens the door to alternative investments, a senior official from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) said. “Socially responsible investment advocates argue that screening helps eliminate companies that have risks that are generally not recognized by […]
Sri Lankan stocks up 0.30-pct
Aug 24, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up Monday as institutional and high-net-worth investors traded the blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) which boosted turnover, while there was much retail interest on Lanka Cement, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed up 0.30 percent (7.54 points) to end at […]
Sri Lanka eyes peace dividend after crushing Tigers
August 23, 2009 (AFP) – Conflict-torn Sri Lanka is banking on foreign cash to rebuild shattered infrastructure as the island emerges from decades of ethnic civil war, officials say.Analysts are expecting a large investment peace dividend in the country where bomb attacks and fighting dented investor confidence and kept high-spending tourists away from the tropical […]