Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked stockbrokers to reduce interest rates charged on broker credit and margin trading in line with policy interest rates of the Central Bank.

The International Monetary Fund warned Thursday that geopolitical risks in Ukraine and the Middle East are looming over a global economy already hit by slowdowns in the US and China.

During the first three weeks of July the All Share Price Index (ASPI) has continuously gained increasing by 343 points with one single day been the exception in which the index lost just 20 points.

After years of stagnation, Sri Lanka for the first time will open up its derivatives market particularly for foreign exchange, before the end of this year, according to a top official of the Sri Lanka Forex Association (SLFA).

Recently someone contacted me to find out if I knew of anyone who could be recommended to    manage their hotel. Apparently, the owners had looked at several candidates and found none to be a suitable fit.

As in many other instances, the country’s two most prominent official economic institutions—the Treasury and the Central Bank recently gave two different per capita income targets to be achieved in 2020, leaving the public to wonder which

Global activity in the 1st quarter strengthened and was expected to improve further, according to the April 2014 WEO, with much of the impetus for growth coming from advanced economies.

Sarvodaya-owned licensed finance company, Deshodaya Development Finance Company Limited (DDFC) said yesterday that they would acquire 75 percent stake of George Steuart Finance PLC (GSF) controlled by the high net worth investor Dilith Jayaweera for

The year 2014 is a promising year for the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). The CSE has recorded a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 14 percent in the broad market index while the S&P SL 20 Index has experienced a growth of 15 percent in the current year.

J. Richard Hackman (1940-2013), a professor of social and organisational psychology at Harvard observed: “The more common reason for sub-standard work group performance is that managers make serious mistakes in designing, supporting and leading

Private sector pharmaceutical importers are crying foul over the Custom’s directive issued in consultation with Cosmetics, Devices & Drugs Regulatory Authority (CDDRA), that makes compulsory to import pharmaceutical items in refrigerated co

In 2013, most recipient countries of FDI in South Asia experienced a significant decline in green field projects except for Sri Lanka. In that, the total announced green-field investments in South Asia, declined by a strong 38 percent-except for Sri

Very often, when discussing tourism and its performance, the focus is on occupancy and room rates. Certainly, these two indices are the most important aspects to monitor the tourism and hospitality sector, which give a good indication of how the indu

It starts often as you hit mid-life. The glittering promotion. The dynamic career. The corner room office. It doesn’t sparkle like it used to – priorities have changed. Children are growing up and they need your time. You honestly prefer

Good governance activist Chandra Jayaratne in an open letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has inquired about the laws pertaining to anticompetitive practices originating from mergers and acquisitions in the country’s capital

Rubber market in Southeast Asia dropped during the week as Chinese interest was low in buying. Tyre makers were banking on rubber stocks in bonded warehouses in Qingdao, the main rubber manufacturing province and very few searched for rubber from the

Sri Lanka’s Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera last week hinted at the possibility of recording a trade surplus by 2020, an economic scenario Sri Lanka has never achieved for the last six decades.

The focus of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is on raising taxes on tobacco, in order to raise prices and reduce consumption. This insight explains the serious consistency issues in Sri Lanka on setting taxes and prices on cigarettes.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday approved a US $300 million dual-tranche loan to help Sri Lanka scale up its use of clean energy and minimize reliance on costly petroleum oil for electricity generation.

Many years ago, as primary students, we were taught that most rich countries were in the North of the globe and most poor countries are in the South, but later on we learnt that it was not geography that causes wealth or poverty. After all, Australia

Despite low credit growth, the Central Bank yesterday decided to keep its key policy rates unchanged for the sixth straight month as the Monetary Board deemed that the current rate regime is quite appropriate with the country’s growth and the i

Teams have become an essential feature in most organisations. The language of management now comfortably includes teams, teamwork and team building. However, this does not mean that we are yet much clearer about the process of bringing a group of peo

One of the advantages of having an advisor was, ostensibly, to have someone who could give required information on your investments to put it into a comprehensible form. The problem with this is that it assumes the broker will be effective at condens

State banking giant, Bank of Ceylon (BoC), is currently in talks with the Finance Ministry to obtain a Rs.10 billion cash infusion as early as the third quarter of this year, to improve its capital adequacy levels, sources revealed.

Royal Pac Printcare Lanka (Private) Limited has signed an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) to establish an operation for the manufacture of apparel labels and packaging material for Sri Lanka’s apparel industry.

Kay Krill heads a unique company. As the CEO of Ann Inc., she overlooks a staff of 20,000 women who work under her, creating clothes for women. Ann Taylor is a US-based upmarket chain of clothes that targets women who want to dress well and look good

The cycle of monetary easing in Sri Lanka will soon end and the country will start to see its monetary policy being tightened as early as from 2015, a global banking giant said in a recent report.

Sri Lanka’s unit trust industry grew 75 percent in 2013 to Rs.54.3 billion but the number of unit holders have increased by a mere 6 percent to just under 30,000 investors, in a country with a 20 million population, according to the capital mar

Why don’t you appreciate me more than you do when I show up at your doorstep? Have you lost sight of the fact, that, as your guest, I am at the centre of the hospitality industry and in an ever expanding circle; you need to always be ahead of m

At a time when the Sri Lanka’s Central Bank (CB) is setting the stage to by-pass a potential economic stagnation and become a ‘break-out nation’, a senior government minister yesterday said that country is gradually being ensnared i