Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lankan stocks up 12.5 pct in the week, rupee stable
May 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares were subdued on profit taking Friday after this week’s bull-run following the government’s victory in the war against Tamil Tiger rebels while the rupee remained stable against the greenback, brokers and dealers said. The spot dollar remained around 114.90/115.10 levels by late afternoon trade after strengthening against […]
Sri Lanka rating outlook cut to negative by S&P
May 21, 2009(LBO) – Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has lowered the outlook of Sri Lanka’s ‘B’ sovereign rating to negative from stable, on weak budgets, fallen foreign reserves and uncertainty over an International Monetary Fund loan. “The negative outlook reflects our opinion that underlying pressures on Sri Lanka’s external liquidity position have intensified, while the […]
Sri Lanka shares surge 5.2%
May 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares surged Thursday led by blue chips as investors ignored a crop of weak quarterly results to focus on future earnings with the end of the decades-old war, brokers said. Hatangala said he expects the upbeat mood to prevail, now that the conflict that acted as a drag […]
Sri Lanka stocks up, bonds steady, after war, rate cut
May 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks rose 4.25 percent in morning trade Thursday following a national holiday to celebrate the end of an internal war, while bonds yields remained steady following a rate cut, dealers said. On Tuesday at the weekly auction of treasury securities 12-month bill yields fell 32 basis points to […]
Sri Lanka cuts rates, moves to single policy corridor
May 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka moved to a single policy rate with an 11.50 percent window with unrestricted accesss, effectively cutting policy rates by 150 basis as inflation fell and the central bank acted to boost credit. The central bank earlier operated a discount or ‘penal reverse repurchase’ window of 13.0 percent with […]
Sri Lanka urged to move quickly on relief, rights
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka must step up relief efforts and provide its Tamil minority political autonomy, governments and relief agencies urged after Colombo said it had finally routed the Tamil Tiger rebels.As the military mopped up in the far northeast, the European Union demanded an independent inquiry into allegations of human […]
Sri Lanka president calls for investment to revive war-battered economy
May 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse called for private sector investment and the return of the island’s diaspora to revive the economy of the country which he said had finally been freed of terrorism with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. “The main obstacle to private sector investment, which had been […]
Japan PM welcomes end of Sri Lanka war
TOKYO, May 19, 2009 (AFP) – Japan, Sri Lanka’s largest aid donor and the holder of two thirds of its foreign debt, on Tuesday “welcomed the end of the civil war” in the island-nation, the prime minister’s office said. Prime Minister Taro Aso spoke by telephone with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who had earlier […]
Sri Lankan stocks marginally up, rupee stable
May 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares ended marginally up Tuesday, recovering from early losses on confirmation that Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was dead, while the rupee remained stable against the greenback, brokers and dealers said. The government later announced that a DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) test had confirmed the slain Tiger leader’s identity […]
Sri Lanka to review overnight forex trading limits: CB governor
May 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will “review” overnight forex trading positions of commercial banks which were slashed during the height of a balance of payments crisis last year, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. The central bank stopped counting dollars advanced to state banks under a tighter reserve classification process ahead of an […]
‘s end
May 19, 2009 (LBO) – The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said the Sri Lankan government’s victory over Tamil Tiger rebels enables it to turn its efforts towards reviving the economy.“This victory demonstrates the true capabilities of the people of the country when provided with proper leadership and direction,” the chamber said in a statement a […]
Sri Lankan stocks shoot up on war victory
May 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares went up across the board Monday on news that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top lieutenants were killed by the security forces, brokers said. However, the new international head of the LTTE, Selvarasa Pathmanathan also known as ‘KP’ remains at […]