By Kimuthu Kiringoda and Himani Vithanage In Sri Lanka, only 7.7% of working-age females are engaged in formal employment with decent wages and decent working hours. The country’s persistent challenge of low female labour force participation is compounded by a multitude of unique barriers to improving women’s access to decent work. Decent work is multifaceted,…
Latest ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll shows a large reversal in sentiment The approval rating of the government fell from 21% in June 2023 to 9% in October 2023 according to the latest round of the Gallup style ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll of Verité Research. The survey showed that satisfaction with the state of…
What is Stock Borrowing and Lending (SBL)? Stock Borrowing & Lending (SBL) is a mechanism that is introduced by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) through the Central Depository System (CDS) to facilitate the lending and borrowing of shares among investors. SBL involves connecting lenders of shares with borrowers for a pre-determined period and interest rate….
The report is based on extensive analysis, including surveys of over 550 MSMEs across 10 districts One of the main findings indicated that tourism, manufacturing, construction, transport and storage, wholesale and retail trade were among the severely impacted Outlines recommendations to facilitate the growth of MSMEs, focusing on areas that can have a broader impact…
Reuters – Sri Lanka’s key inflation rate rose to 1.5% in October from 1.3% a month ago, the statistics department said on Tuesday. The Colombo Consumer Price Index (LKCCPI=ECI), a leading indicator for broader national prices, tracks inflation in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s biggest city. Food prices fell 5.2% in October after declining 5.2% in September, from…
Shadows loom large as the pendulum swings yet again amid multiple sensitivities Business confidence remains clouded by ongoing developments – and heavily dependent on their outcomes. The IMF’s review of the four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF), ongoing debt discussions with creditors, rapid disinflation, fluctuating fuel prices and the added complexity of the Israel-Palestine conflict –…
They say cowards die many times & the brave only once. There must be many who bravely invested in the ventures of late Lalith Kotelawala (LK) & die daily due to the fall. They may know if LK died once or not after his fall from fame in 2008. LK once said that he grew…
By Nilupulee Rathnayake Having weathered a challenging period marked by a deep economic crisis, Sri Lanka is now demonstrating positive signs of an economic upturn. Still, amidst limited homefront policy alternatives against an unfavourable global backdrop, a critical question arises: how will Sri Lanka’s external sector cope in the face of these challenges? Notably, import…
‘Bodhidharma’ is widely believed to be a South Indian ‘Master’ or a ‘Brahman’ who travelled to Great China approx 5th Century AD. He is respected for teaching meditation & martial arts to the Shaolin monks of the Shaolin Monastery. The dialog between ‘Bodhidharma’ & the emperor of China is a good read for anyone interested in…
By Dr Nisha Arunatilake Even before the onset of COVID-19, malnutrition stood as a significant driver of multi-dimensional poverty among children in Sri Lanka. Startling data from the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) in 2019 revealed that one in three children aged 0 to 4 who are multidimensionally poor, are either underweight or stunted….
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