Category: Economy and Markets
‘s battle with Tigers forces it to seek bailout
April 5, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka appears to be on the verge of crushing Tamil Tiger rebels after decades of fighting but its success has blown a hole in the nation’s finances and forced it to seek an IMF bailout. Negotiations are underway with the International Monetary Fund for a 2.4 billion-dollar rescue package […]
Sri Lanka forex interventions reduce in March
April 04, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has spent only 54 million US dollars defending a rupee peg in March with the island’s central bank selling 127.5 million US dollars in forex markets but also buying back 73.5 million US dollars, the latest official data show. Sri Lanka originally asked for 1.9 billion US dollars […]
More regulations, same monetary system, after G20
LONDON, April 2, 2009 (AFP) – G20 leaders made major progress in reforming a “failed regulatory system” for global finance which had endangered the world’s prosperity, US President Barack Obama said after their summit Thursday. “We made enormous strides in committing ourselves to comprehensive reform of a failed regulatory system,” he said after a G20 […]
Sri Lanka rupee looks for direction amid IMF talks
April 03, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka rupee held steady against the US dollar in intra-day trading around 116.00 rupees Friday days after an International Monetary Fund mission wrapped up talks in Colombo, and a bailout expected within weeks. “An IMF mission is back to Washington and continues discussions with the authorities on the […]
Sri Lankan stocks close up on slim turnover
Apr 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed marginally up Friday due to low volume price gains on Hatton National Bank (HNB) and renewed retail interest on Chevron Lubricants Lanka, brokers said. The All Share Price Index was up 0.05 percent (0.86 points) to end at 1,637.19 while the more liquid Milanka gained 0.19 […]
Sri Lanka relaxes export support criteria
April 03, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is ready to be flexible on export earnings criteria in a support package for exporters to help them weather the economic recession, a senior finance ministry official said.S R Attygalle, director-general of fiscal policy of the finance ministry, said the government is ready to be flexible […]
Sri Lankan stocks close down
Apr 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed weaker Thursday dragged down by low volume transactions on Hatton National Bank (HNB) and Development Finance Corporation of Ceylon (DFCC), brokers said. Dialog Telekom, a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia, closed flat at 4.80 rupees, while fixed-line giant Sri Lanka Telecom lost 25 cents to close at […]
Sri Lanka brain drain still key corporate concern
April 02, 2009 (LBO) – The migration of skilled professionals remains a major concern for Sri Lanka’s corporate sector, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.Hasitha Wickremasinghe, an economist for the ADB in Sri Lanka, said a recent survey of the corporate sector by the bank had revealed brain drain was continuing unabated. The problem was […]
Sri Lankan shares up, Lanka Cement draws interest
April 01, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks edged higher on Wednesday boosted by speculative trading by small investors in Lanka Cement, which has a defunct plant in the north that is being eyed by foreign firms, brokers said. The All Share Price Index was up 0.10 percent (1.70 points) to end at 1,639.76 while […]
Sri Lanka rupee weakens to new life low
April 01, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka rupee traded at a new low of 116.10 rupees against the greenback Wednesday dealers said, heightening expectations of a successful deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).In a pegged country rate cuts are achieved by further monetizations of deficits (printing money) unless the government reduces spending.This will […]
Sri Lanka reconstruction after war could stimulate economy: ADB
Mar 31, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economic growth will slow down this year but could revive the next helped by reconstruction activity expected with the end of the war against Tamil Tigers, the Asian Development Bank said.The ADB report said the island economy remained resilient last year, bolstered by strong growth in the agriculture […]
Sri Lanka inflation drops to 5.3-pct in March
Mar 31, 2009 (LBO) – Consumer price inflation in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo dropped to 5.3 percent in the 12-months to March 2009 from 7.6 percent in February, with prices dropping for six straight months, the government’s statistics office said. Consumer prices have dropped absolutely from October 2008, when the revised Colombo Consumer Price Index […]