BRUSSELS (Reuters): Euro zone economic sentiment defied expectations of stabilisation and again fell sharply in September, underlining the economic gloom brought on by the sovereign debt crisis as the euro zone sinks into a recession. The European Commission’s monthly economic sentiment survey showed the index for the 17 countries sharing the euro falling to 85 ...

The location of Sri Lanka has a strategic significance and this has been proven by the historical trading activities between Sri Lanka and ancient China, Egypt, and the Roman Empire. There is ample evidence to show that Sri Lanka was a main trading hub in Asia. The reasons for occupation of Sri Lanka by the ...

The place isn’t a paradise for minorities but the economy is recovering By Sam Baker Asuasentinel.com: The Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka has probably botched its dealings with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. Still, the disenchantment with Colombo may be overblown three years after the end of the ...

The global escalation of commodity prices in the latter part of last decade impacted Sri Lanka’s rice market, with retail prices showing sharp increases for the consumer. The regulatory forces with a ceiling on consumer prices and guaranteed price for paddy did alleviate this problem to some extent. Today it has taken a different turn ...

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) together with the Bucks University featured the 2012 award winners from Singapore of global business associations and chief marketing officers under the theme ‘Is The Party Over?’ at Galadari Hotel, where a select audience of 200 business and marketers attended the event. Some of the key points discussed ...

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters): Leading members of the Group of 20 nations are prepared to trigger an emergency meeting to address soaring grain prices caused by the worst US drought in more than half a century and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket. France, the United States and G20 president Mexico will hold a conference ...

Reuters: India’s industrial output fell for the third time in four months in June, adding to pressure on new Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram to move quickly and pull Asia’s third-largest economy from its worst slowdown in almost a decade. The manufacturing-led slump provided further ammunition to the slew of private economists who downgraded their growth ...

Reuters: Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram sought on Monday to allay investor worries about an economy growing at its weakest pace in almost a decade by pledging to address their concerns over taxes, public finances and interest rates. In his first comments since becoming finance minister on July 31, Chidambaram said it was important to ...

LONDON (Reuters): Britain’s economy shrank far more than expected in the second quarter, battered by everything from an extra public holiday to government spending cuts and the neighbouring euro zone crisis. Finance minister George Osborne said figures released on Wednesday showed Britain had “deep-rooted economic problems,” adding that the slump in the second quarter was ...

By Shamil Samsul Mueen 1. Introduction The global financial crisis has raised imperative issues concerning the stability and reliability of existing financial systems. This has driven an extensive global re-examination on the competence of the existing financial architecture and the search for a more enduring solution. As a result an increasing interest in Islamic finance ...

Four examples; two bad and two goodThe website of the London Economist newspaper has a reference to an official of a certain country referring to a journalist in words similar to what follows – I have substituted words which would be appropriate to an officer and a gentleman addressing a lady, for what was actually ...

Opposition MPs warn post-war gains will be wasted unless Govt. puts house in order Insist on better policies, respect for law and order Call for common agenda for clear and consistent regulations By Uditha Jayasinghe Opposition politicians joined the private sector yesterday in calling for the Government to work on law and order and consistent ...

Poor rainfall throughout Sri Lanka during the past few months has caused a drought unheard of during recent history. Particularly affected Districts are Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Ampara, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla. Farmers complain that their crops are being ruined or are on the verge of being ruined. Some villages complain of the shortage ...

Like Sri Lanka, India is also facing a fuel crisis. However, some Indian economic experts had analysed the situation and expressed an opinion, which is applicable to Sri Lanka as well. In 1970 America insisted that all petroleum (crude oil) dealings should be in US dollars. Several countries purchased excess US sdollar to be kept ...

LONDON WASHINGTON, (Reuters): The global economy is showing signs of deteriorating after manufacturing in the United States contracted in June for the first time in three years, European factories took another hefty blow and China and Japan were hit hard by crumbling orders from abroad. Business surveys released on Monday, covering thousands of factories across ...

A solution for loss-making SOEs? In the USA, a new corporate entity referred to as a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) has been brought into being. The states of Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, California and Vermont have legislation which permits companies to combine the profit motive with the purpose of making a positive impact on society and ...

By Marianne David MP and consultant economist Dr. Harsha De Silva yesterday alleged that THE UNP’s criticism over the mismanagement of the economy and the Central Bank as well as the EPF’s investments in banking stocks have been emphatically validated by global rating agency Standard and Poor’s.“Standard and Poor’s reiterated what we have been saying ...

Reuters: Brent crude steadied around $96 a barrel on Tuesday, staying close to 16-month lows hit in the prior session, as Spain’s rising borrowing cost showed Europe is nowhere near resolving its debt crisis that has hurt the outlook for fuel demand. Oil, along with other commodities, fell on Monday after an initial rally fueled ...

Peter Kropotkin is a Russian revolutionist who has commented in his book ‘The Conquest of Bread’ what he considers to be the weaknesses of the economic systems of capitalism and how poverty and scarcity thrives on. However, Kropotkin did not believe in the theory of state and is known as an anarchist. The issue of ...

With highest-ever top and bottom line performance premier blue chip JKH says knowing exactly who were are, what we stand for and where we are headed makes all the differenceI am pleased to present the Integrated Annual Report, and the Statement of Accounts, for the Financial Year ended 31 March 2012. The Report encapsulates the ...

By Damien The Secretary to the treasury Dr. P.B Jayasundera recently made statement that the country is wasting the foreign currency on things that can be made in this country. I would like to add to this by stating that as a country we should have clear targets and policies that are aimed at both ...

Key insights to state of the economy and market and future prospects from NDB Stockbrokers’ latest Sri Lanka Equities report Uncertainty in the macro environment The robust economic growth and steep rise in global crude oil prices increased Sri Lanka’s import bill by 51% in 2011. As a result the trade deficit widened, putting the ...

Reuters: Analysts at Goldman Sachs and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch cut their growth forecasts for India, following up on a Morgan Stanley downgrade earlier this week that had sparked much concern in domestic markets. The downgrades come in a tough month for Indian markets, after global risk aversion surged, exposing the country’s fiscal and economic ...

In mid February, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) informed consumers of their intention to revise their electricity charges from the following month. The March electricity bill issued to the consumer by the meter-reader was based on previous rate. The April bill based on revised rates with the addition of fuel surcharge for March was sure ...