By Dr Asanka Wijesinghe The United States’ (US) proclamation of “reciprocal tariffs” dealt a blow to the global trade system based on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) principles. With the individualised tariff rates, the US has discarded non-discrimination in the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) tariff structure. The “reciprocal tariff” rate does not show any reciprocity but rather…
The Economy – Economic Sentiment Wavers A notably cautious economic and business outlook has settled over corporates with PepperCube Consultants reporting a more tempered perspective in biz circles. This is line with the mighty fall in business confidence in April. THE ECONOMY The latest LMD-PEPPERCUBE Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey, conducted in the first week of April,…
Fitch Ratings: Emerging-market (EM) issuers are variously exposed to direct and indirect impacts from the global trade war, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. Credit pressures may become most evident in EMs where tariff effects combine with aggravating factors or add to pre-existing pressures, even if direct US tariff exposures are small. APAC’s high…
Business confidence takes a nosedive leaving the recent record highs in the rearview mirror In a dramatic move on 2 April, US President Donald Trump imposed a 44 percent tariff on goods from Sri Lanka and many other countries (ranging from 10% to 90%) through an executive order, citing it as a reciprocal measure to…
By Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) in collaboration with the technical expertise sourced from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has facilitated the Regulatory Framework for issuing and trading a suite of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) related Bond products at the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE)….
By Prof. Samitha Hettige After the attacks in Kashmir, Indo-Pakistan relations are discussed in length. 8 weeks before Sri Lanka signed many agreements with the visiting Indian PM, in February 2025 at a high level meeting in Beijing, China & Pakistan renewed their all weather strategic partnership known as a choice by history & by…
The Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (IRCSL), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport & Highways and key stakeholders in the transport sector, has implemented the Optional Compensation Scheme (OCS) to compensate for death or permanent disability of third-party victims due to motor vehicle accidents. This innovative scheme marks a significant milestone in the…
Economic optimism reaches a six month high amid heightened business activity There’s been a ground swell surrounding the economic outlook among businesspeople with the gauge of sentiment marking a six month high in March. PepperCube Consultants says this reflects robust sales volume projections and increased activity. “A significant portion of companies are maintaining a growth…
Sri Lanka Purchasing Managers’ Index for Manufacturing (PMI – Manufacturing) reached 63.9 in March 2025, recording its highest value in four years. All sub-indices posted month-on-month expansions, reflecting a notable improvement in manufacturing activities, driven by the strong seasonal demand. The sharp increases in the New Orders and Production sub-indices, particularly within the food and…
By Prof. Samitha Hettige The US electorate picked Donald Trump as their President for a 2nd term. Though some view that USA has a track record of de-establishing democratic processes of many countries including Sri Lanka (Ref 2022 July), those who respect democracy should respect the rights of the US citizens to elect the President…
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