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Wed, 22 Jan 2020 Today's Paper

Columns

Role of capital quality in risk management

20 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2014

Capital is critical for banks to be in business. In banks and financial sector, it is meant to meet unexpected losses arising out of normal course of banking business like any other commercial enterprise. 

Gaps in Asia’s economic infrastructure

15 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1973

The gap between global infrastructure needs and global infrastructure investment is widening. Inadequate investment in transport, communications and energy networks is estimated to be US $ 26 trillion in Asia alone. 

India’s response to Chinese Belt and Road Initiative

15 Feb 2018 - 0     - 3652

For decades, China has been both a focal point of India’s foreign policy and its main rival on the international scene. The defeat in the 1962 war, China’s economic, military and political support for Pakistan and incidents at the disputed border, as in Doklam in summer 2017, have contributed to India’s concerns vis-à-vis China. 

Learning to love Artificial Intelligence

14 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2284

This Valentine’s Day, millions of people across Asia - and around the world - will express their feelings and celebrate the special relationships they have with their loved ones, through the exchange of cards and gifts in a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval era.

Criticality of risk weighted assets in risk management

13 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2747

In the process of financial intermediation, banks mobilize deposits and deploy them in loans and investments in tune with the Central Bank guidelines to create assets. 

Putting nation on track to economic independence

08 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2055

Recently, Sri Lanka celebrated the 70th Independence Day ceremoniously, giving some opportunities for the rulers as well as citizens to look back and rectify certain issues pertaining to development. Sri Lanka, like its other Asian counterparts, was conquered by invaders, mainly due to geographical importance, which even today we have not been able to properly harness. Political independence, which the nation could gain, then means the Sri Lankan

Five ways to make textbooks relevant in digital world

08 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1960

In 2009, the New York Times published an article titled: In a Digital Future, Textbooks are History. Since then, many have queried whether textbooks are needed in a digital world, given that extensive and often free online resources are now available.

Artificial Intelligence in risk management

07 Feb 2018 - 0     - 3553

Risk management in banks are data dependent and data driven.The standard of integrity of data can define the precision with which the measurement of a risk can be undertaken.

Will 2018 be a Goldilocks economy?

06 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2212

A Goldilocks economy is an economy that is not too hot or cold, in other words sustains moderate economic growth, and that has low inflation, which allows a market-friendly monetary policy. The name comes from the children’s story Goldilocks & the Three Bears. The U.S. economy of the mid- to late-1990s was considered a Goldilocks economy because it was “not too hot, not too cold, but just right’.

Four risks to global economy for Sri Lanka to watch in 2018

02 Feb 2018 - 0     - 4218

The world economy appears to be booming – in its latest World Economic Outlook Update, published on January 22, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that global gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.7 percent last year, up from 3.2 percent in 2016, which is the fastest rate of expansion since 2011. 

Importance of MS and RW batting together

02 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1777

A prominent administrator after reading my column last week wrote to me and said, “Push has come to shove. Sirisena is breathing fire. A drastic change of direction is needed after February 10.”

Things visible to foreigners but not to natives

01 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1873

There are economically sensitive things the investors are actually interested in, when their investment decisions are made, the big part of which is how the economy performs. However, investor sentiments are manipulated by common as well as specific factors, which make investors either optimistic or pessimistic on the economy.

How to expand international climate finance investments

01 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1848

Rightly or wrongly, the developing countries may see themselves in competition for financing from the US $ 10 billion Green Climate Fund (GCF)—the flagship fund for adaptation and mitigation investment under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

‘Sectoral mismatch’ between labour demand and supply in Sri Lanka

01 Feb 2018 - 0     - 3642

The first Labour Demand Survey (LDS) in Sri Lanka, conducted by the Census and Statistics Department, recorded nearly half a million vacancies in the private sector. A large portion of these vacancies are found to be in routine and non-routine manual jobs. 

Homework for jobs of the future

01 Feb 2018 - 0     - 2147

Despite having large working-age populations, many countries in Asia Pacific will struggle to find talent with the necessary skills to thrive in tomorrow’s workplace. 

Second law of CEO communication

01 Feb 2018 - 0     - 1728

The second law of CEO communication is for the leader to connect emotionally with her audience. This is generally done by telling stories or anecdotes.

What it means for trade and investment flows

25 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2835

The freshly-signed Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) marks a new milestone in the relations between the two island economies. The agreement, signed on January 23, 2018, after almost 18 months of negotiations, is a modern, comprehensive and high-quality agreement. 

Will Sri Lanka be able to balance between China and India?

25 Jan 2018 - 0     - 4044

“It is for the people of Asia to run the affairs of Asia, solve the problems of Asia and uphold the security of Asia,” Chinese President Xi remarked at the 2014 Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. 

RPCs restored and revived government-subsidized plantation industry

18 Jan 2018 - 0     - 3310

Cost of production From 1980 to 1991, under state management, the average cost of production (COP) for a kilogramme of tea was 140 percent relative to the daily wage of a worker. After privatization, the regional plantation companies (RPCs) managed to contain the COP to 90 percent of the labour wage. If extrapolated under the ‘ceteris paribus’ conditions, the current COP should be in the region of Rs.1022. 

Extending term of parliament and abolition of presidential system: New scenario

17 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2929

As we all know, President Maithripala Sirisena has sought the opinion of the Supreme Court that whether he, as the person elected on January 9, 2015, has any impediment to continue in the office of President for a period of six years. In terms of Article 30(2) of the 19th Amendment, the president will hold office for a term of five years.  

Shortage of real leaders

17 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2382

Our world looks in vain for strong leadership. Politicians and religious leaders no longer seem to offer it.

You may have heard data is the new oil. It’s not

17 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2100

We’ve seen it used numerous times, from the cover of prominent publications to speeches by Fortune 500 CEOs and world leaders: “data is the new oil”.

RPCs restored and revived government-subsidized plantation industry

17 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2559

We refer to the article that appeared in Mirror Business under ‘Performance of RPCs: Facts or Fiction’ by Lalin I. De Silva.

Basics of technical analysis for sound investment decisions

16 Jan 2018 - 0     - 3057

There are two primary methods used to analyze stocks and make investment decisions: fundamental analysis and technical analysis. 

Asset liability management in banks

16 Jan 2018 - 0     - 3948

One of the key challenges of banks is to maintain equilibrium between inflows and outflows of funds, in terms of size and tenor. 

International Financial Reporting Standard for Sri Lankan insurance industry

16 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2767

Insurance accounting has never been easier for accountants due to the complicated nature of insurance contracts when assessing the liability arising from  insurance contracts. 

How long can this bull market last?

16 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2295

2017 was a good year for investors. A benchmark of global stocks rose almost 22 percent during the year, registering its strongest gain since 2009’s rebound-from-recession, while global investment grade bonds rose more than 7 percent, marking their biggest yearly rise since 2007. While it’s tough to repeat this sterling performance, the broader macroeconomic outlook suggests that 2018 is likely to be another constructive year for inve

Is Trump’s America the ‘dispensable’ power in Asia?

11 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2160

Madeleine Albright, one of several scholar–statespersons the unique American spoils system used to produce as Secretary of State, characterised the United States as ‘the indispensable power’. In relation to East Asia today, that description seems no longer salient. In this vein, perhaps 30 years from now, we will look back on US President Donald Trump’s first official visit to East Asia as the moment when the United States

D. Eassuwaren – A role model for present businessmen

11 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2920

I first met D. Eassuwaren at the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka in 1993 and since then, up to his demise a few days ago, I had been associating him very closely. 

To resist the robots, invest in people

11 Jan 2018 - 0     - 2906

A knitting factory in Bangladesh brings together the past, present and future. On one floor, workers knit by hand. On another, people and machines do the work together. And on a third floor, there are only robots.

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