By Prof. Samitha Hettige The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is China’s logistics network for international trade. Since opening up in 1979, China focused on developing the national economy and decided to invest the trade surplus outside China. It is referred to as economic dual circulation. As a result, China has developed trade and social…
Service providers must be given golden opportunities to monetise infrastructure investment to further propel the country’s economic growth. Introduction of Independent and empowered mobile tower companies (TowerCos) could unlock nearly USD 1 Billion in foreign direct investment over the next five years and provide connectivity to five million under-connected Sri Lankans, opines Gayan Koralage, Director…
Biz confidence shores up in the aftermath of the IMF’s facility being approved The IMF’s US$ 3 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which was approved on 20 March, has surely been instrumental in bolstering business confidence. And efforts to restructure Sri Lanka’s mountain of debt has since taken a positive turn with three key sovereign…
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports decreased by 1.96 % to US$ 1,037.5 Million in March 2023 compared to March 2022. Moreover, it is a 5.14 % decrease when compared to March 2021. Less demand created for major products in major markets due to the current economic situation further continues. Major Exports in March 2023 A. Products…
Perceived Economic Opportunity Index [PEOI] 2023 Q1: January 01 to March 31, 2023 The optimism of the Sri Lankan people is at rock bottom. But a distant glimmer of hope has appeared. The Foundation of Economic Freedom in Sri Lanka (FEFSL) presents here a summary of perceptions of the people of Sri Lanka about their…
By Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Sustainable Financing Sustainable finance refers to any form of financial service integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into the business or investment decisions for the lasting benefit of both clients and society at large. Presently, a number of securities regulators are focused on whether the sustainable…
Portfolio concentration is a big reason for Berkshire Hathaway’s long-term success. For nearly six decades, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A0.37%) (BRK.B0.53%) CEO Warren Buffett has been making his shareholders decisively richer. Berkshire’s Class A shares (BRK.A) have doubled up the total annualized return of the S&P 500, including dividends, since he became CEO (19.8% vs. 9.9%). The…
On April 24th China celebrated its Space day in Hefei, Anhui Province. Main focus of the event was to carry forward the Chinese dream of atomic & space technology. The next steps of the manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, & BeiDou Navigation Satellite system in the coming decades is another focus. To coincide with the event…
New UNICEF study reveals financial pressure and girls being out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic drove many parents in South Asia to marry their daughters More than 100 government and civil society representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, alongside experts and young people, called for renewed efforts…
Although all consumer indices remain pessimistic, the biggest gains were in future expectations suggesting the IMF funding agreement has lifted perceptions There was broad improvement in consumer sentiment in March, with all three of IHP’s Consumer confidence indices significantly improving, although all remain at pessimistic levels. The Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS), the broadest measure…
