Business News
Business Singer March revenues below expectations; expects retail operations to normalise from Sept. quarter
Singer Sri Lanka PLC’s March 2020 top line came in at below the previous year’s levels but reported higher operating profits, possible from reduced selling and…
Business February trade gap widens as exports languish; imports up
Sri Lanka’s trade deficit in the month of February widened by US$ 574 million as exports languished and imports rose, latest data released by the Central Bank…
Business Informal sector leads direct-to-consumer market over established channels during lockdowns
Informal sector appears to be making the most of the direct-to-consumer model,which flourished during the two-month long shelter-in-place conditions as the…
Business Bourse rebounds after two days of losses
The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) rebounded yesterday after two days of losses, with the benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) increasing by 2.81 percent or…
Business Shares fall as consumer, industrial stocks weigh
REUTERS: Sri Lankan stocks closed sharply lower yesterday, weighed by consumer discretionary and industrial stocks, as investors returned to stock markets this…
Business Tea industry urges sector players to maintain end product quality
Although Sri Lanka’s tea industry has been able to brew a strong cuppa amid the global pandemic, the sector representatives caution that the industry should…
Business Strict guidelines proposed for tourism sector
Strict guidelines have been proposed for the tourism sector as the industry prepares to open its doors and resume operations. A draft document prepared by the…
Business ADB provides guarantee for USD 25 million trade loan to Sri Lanka
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a guarantee for a $25 million trade loan to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC) to purchase…
Business SriLankan launches dedicated cargo flights to rescue export industries
National carrier, SriLankan Airlines, is making a decisive move to rescue the country’s much troubled export industries by launching dedicated cargo services…
Business No foreign financial aid to COVID-19 campaign: MR
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that no financial aid has received from foreign countries to be utilised in the COVID-19 campaign. The Prime…
Business Equities tumble as Trump revives trade war fears
(Hong Kong) AFP: Stock markets suffered steep losses yesterday, tracking a selloff in New York after Donald Trump sparked fears of a renewed trade war with…
Business April inflation subdued over base effect
Inflation for the month of April was recorded at 5.2 percent, as the prices measured for the 12 months to April was slightly lower than the 5.4 percent…
Business China’s grand e-currency experiment set to begin this month
WION: China has claimed that the country is rolling out its digital currency in four cities starting next week. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the health risk…
Business Luxury taxes added to vehicles less than 1,000cc after rupee depreciation: Importers
Due to the increase of the value of Japanese Yen and the US Dollar against the Sri Lankan Rupee after March 20, the vehicles with engine capacity less than…
Business March merchandise exports plunge record 42%
Sri Lanka’s merchandise export earnings in March plunged a record 42 percent year-on-year (YoY) to US $ 646 million, with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading…
Business Australia blasts Chinese Ambassador for threatening to ruin economy
Australia, (Daily Mail), 28 April 2020 - Australia has asked the Chinese ambassador to explain his ‘economic coercion’ threat made in response to…
Business CB imposes maximum interest rates on pawning advances
The Central Bank has imposed maximum interest rates on pawning advances of licensed banks to provide relief to low income families affected by the COVID-19…
Business State and private sector accelerate e-commerce spend as COVID-19 alters shopping habits
As COVID-19 is altering almost everything including how people shop for their day-to-day needs, some chief executives expect such changes are here to stay even…
Business SL to reposition exports to meet new market conditions resulting from COVID-19 crisis
Sri Lankan Missions abroad seek to re-position Sri Lanka’s exports to meet market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, the Foreign Relations Ministry…
Business “We need to make every investment count now more than ever,” says UNDP Economist
By Shabiya Ali Ahlam As Sri Lanka is in the midst of exploring all possible avenues to bounce back from the upheaval set in motion by the coronavirus pandemic,…
Business WB forecasts 19% decline in remittances to Sri Lanka this year
The worker remittance inflows to Sri Lanka this year are projected to decline by 19 percent year-on-year (YoY), driven by the global economic slowdown due to…
Business Easter Sunday attacks cost Rs.150bn to economy erasing 1% of GDP
The Easter Sunday attacks and the tremors felt across the economy in its aftermath cost the Sri Lankan economy a mammoth Rs.150 billion in 2019, translating…
Business Export Development Board confident export sector will steer country out of COVID-19 crisis
The Export Development Board (EDB) yesterday renewed its call to the government and the business community to give utmost prominence to local exports and…
Business Consumer durables sector hit hard by coronavirus
The depleted consumer incomes and temporary import restrictions on non-essential imports could deal a heavy blow to Sri Lanka’s consumer durables sector, which…