A Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister today admitted that the country is facing economic difficulties, but added the issue is common for the entire world. Minister of Health Maithreepala Sirisena says it is in this backdrop the government had to take hard decisions such as raising fuel prices and imposing a fuel surcharge on electricity bills. Sirisena says ...

BMI’s prediction of a second devaluation of the Sri Lankan rupee played out on February 14, with the currency ending the day at LKR120.13/US$ – marking a 5.4% drop from when we called such a move in our online service on January 30. At one stage on February 15, the rupee diced with a record low

of the Sri Lankan rupee. He added that the price hike would take place after the next consignment of cement...

(Srilankamirror) - The Sri Lankan rupee opened weaker at 120.30/35 against the US dollar in the spot dollar market. It drifted lower as the foreign exchange market continued to look for direction but stocks opened stronger, LBO reports. Colombo All Share Index rose 1.6 percent

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says the current developments taking place in the Forex market, which dealers describe as “volatile” is only a temporary development. The Bank says the recent depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee seems to be a reaction of forex dealers, which it says are adjusting

(Bloomberg): Sri Lanka doesn’t need to further tighten monetary policy for now even though an increase in fuel and transportation costs and a weakening currency may stoke inflation, the head of the central bank said. The central bank’s rate increase earlier this month will have a “demand-driven impact” and help moderate inflation, its Governor Ajith ...

The Sri lankan rupee hit an all time low falling down to 120.10 SLR a Dollar today. The dip was due to the non interference of the Central Bank in...

(Srilankamirror) - The Sri Lankan rupee closed at 117.25/40 against the US dollar today, down from Friday's close of 115.20/30 in a second day of trading without Central Bank intervention. The rupee drifted lower in intra-day trading but recovered towards the end of the day, LBO reports

(Srilankamirror) - The depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee is one reason for the increase in fuel prices, said opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Addressing a public rally in Ratnapura, he said the government should take responsibility for the high fuel prices. The present regime

By SulochanaRamiah MohanSri Lanka, though adamant not to float the Sri Lankan rupee, was last week compelled to bow  to the IMF demand that the Sri Lankan rupee be allowed to float if country wants the fourth tranche of the IMF loan, sources said. But when contacted, the Minister for International

(Srilankamirror) - The Sri Lankan rupee fell against the US dollar to below 115 rupees after the Central Bank stopped intervening on a specific price. This followed a 30 cent lowering of its band earlier in the day, LBO reported quoting dealers. The rupee fell from 114.30 to 114.60

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka said Tuesday it did not need the final tranche of a $2.6-billion IMF bailout thanks to the country's healthy foreign exchange reserves.   The loan was granted in 2009 by the International Monetary Fund just after the end of the country's bloody ethnic civil war. "The need is no longer there. Our (foreign currency) reserves are at fairly comfortable levels," Central Bank o...

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka recently unveiled its pioneering Sixth Strategic Plan – communicating in all transparency its plans for the forthcoming financial period – based on the theme ‘Raising the Bar’. The Sixth Strategic Plan, like its predecessors, takes root from the policy measures underscored in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana,’ and is formulated to ...

The Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) has opined the Central Bank’s forecast of $ 25 billion foreign inflow as “optimistic” given external headwinds whilst cautioning that pressure was mounting on the rupee given the rising import demand. This view along with weaker GDP forecast is contained in SCB's latest country update titled 'A challenging year ahead' ...

RAM Ratings Lanka has reaffirmed Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC’s long- and short-term corporate credit ratings of A and P2 respectively. The long term rating carries a stable outlook. The ratings are supported by its sizable market share, its healthy balance sheet, and the healthy debt coverage levels. The above positives are, however, moderated by ...

In a major indictment on the country’s macro stability and a wakeup call to policy makers, Fitch Ratings yesterday warned that Sri Lanka has now become one of the four highest-risk financial systems in Asia Pacific and nine in the world. The warning on and labelling of Sri Lanka comes ahead of Christmas and could ...

their personal views and criticizing the devaluation of the Sri Lankan Rupee. It is with the approval ...

The main opposition UNP yesterday charged that the devaluation of the Sri Lankan rupee at the recent Budget has resulted in the country’s public debt burden increasing by a further Rs. 81 billion, the UNP said yesterday.

The main opposition UNP yesterday charged that the devaluation of the Sri Lankan rupee at the recent Budget has resulted in the country’s public debt burden increasing by a further...

Colombo (Srilankamirror) - IMF resident representative Koshy Mathai has said the devaluation of the Sri Lankan rupee was a good step. The measure should support the nation's export competitiveness and safeguard its reserves over the medium-term, he has told Reuters via email. "

Colombo (Srilankamirror) -The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has supported the sudden devaluation of the Sri Lankan rupee saying it would boost exports. The CCC said in a statement the government's 2012 budget presented to parliament "maintains the consistent fiscal framework announced

The Sri Lankan Rupee weakened to Rs.114.15 against the dollar in the currency market after closing at Rs.113.90 yesterday

Quick take on 2012 Budget by IIFL Securities Ceylon The 2012 Budget was relatively uneventful. It could be viewed as building on the significant tax reforms brought in by its predecessor whilst focusing on long-term infrastructure-led development and fiscal consolidation. The Government envisaging a fiscal deficit target of 6.2% of GDP for 2012 is a ...

The premier private sector lobby Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) yesterday welcomed the 2012 Budget and emphasised that it looked forward to working with the Government with regard to implementation. The chamber issued a statement yesterday after a careful study of the proposals in Budget 2012 presented by President and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on ...

Research issue Sri Lanka’s growth cannot be examined in isolation. This is because its economy is intricately interwoven to its neighbours and other countries through commercial, political and cultural links. The sustainability of any growth strategy adopted by the country will depend on the stability of different partnerships and the ability of the country to ...

Arrenga Capital Research takes a deeper look at Budget 2012 and impact on select listed companies 1. A challenging deficit target – 6.2% of GDP in 2012 I. Government revenue targeted to grow by 20.2% YoY to Rs. 1,126.1 b (14.7% of GDP) II. Total Government expenditure to rise 14.1% YoY to Rs. 1,594.9 b ...

the Sri Lankan Rupee is a signal on moving towards a ...

By Marianne David, Dinali Goonewardene, Cheranka Mendis, Cassandra Mascarenhas, Devin Jayasundera and Chamitha Kuruppu Brandix CEO Ashroff Omar Overall, we are glad that all that we had asked for, having worked with the Treasury before the Budget, has come in. There are slight tweaks from our proposals to what has been given, but overall we ...

MP charges that Government is focusing only on physical infrastructure and adopting a top-down development approach instead of a more inclusive and participatory humane political futureUnited National Party Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne asserts that the Government is depleting the resources of the municipality on an election extravaganza. In a candid interview with the Daily FT, the ...

By Simon Montlake Forbes.com: On my first trip back to Sri Lanka since February 2010, I noticed plenty of positive changes. New construction, cleaner streets and a lighter security presence (a bloody civil war ended in May 2009). The IMF predicts Sri Lanka’s economy will expand this year by 7.5%, keeping pace with next-door giant ...