“It’s a wild wild market…”

Clamour for credit and indirect pressure exerted to stop investigations have been the main demands of the so called ‘stock market mafia’ existent on the Colombo Bourse, says Tilak Karunaratne, who tendered his resignation as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday. 

Reluctantly stepping down barely nine months after taking over the position, the former Chairman said that he had tried to fast track investigations into market malpractices under his tenure so as to bring sanity to what he described as ‘a wild market where some people were shooting  from the hip’.

In what could be his first interview with The Nation Gain following his resignation, Karunaratne explains the sequence of events that led him to call it a day and his expressions showed that his main disappointment was that he could not effectively take some of those real perpetrators of the Colombo’s Stock Market to task.

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SL-Pakistan trade ties offer profitable prospects: Pakistan HC

Commercial ties between Sri Lanka and Pakistan offer many profitable prospects to businessmen willing to explore new avenues of trade and as such the two countries should look at fully utilizing the potential of bilateral economic cooperation, the High Commissioner of Pakistan Seema Ilahi Baloch said last week. On the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Made in Pakistan Exhibition 2012, she noted that Pakistan offers a good opportunity to Sri Lankan traders where consumers could benefit from its abundant raw materials, developed household electronics industry, fruits and vegetables, sports goods, surgical investments and cement which are all available at competitive prices and with low freight costs.

“Our governments have created a conducive environment for the private sector. We have an FTA, a Bilateral Investment Treaty and an MoU on Customs Co-operation. The question we have to ask ourselves is that with the entire paper framework in place are we fully utilizing the potential of bilateral economic cooperation?” she queried.

However, she noted that it is heartening to see that Pakistan-Sri Lanka trade shows a continuous upward trend since the bilateral trade, which was US$ 255 million in 2008,  has grown up to US$ 390 million in 2011.

“Joint ventures in fisheries, food processing, mineral exploration, handlooms and textile can benefit businessmen of both countries.”
“The timber and furniture sector also offers promise where Sri Lanka can benefit from the trained craftsmen from Pakistan and Pakistan can benefit from the wide varieties of timber in Sri Lanka,” she said.

The High Commissioner further pointed out that there is a strong desire and commitment on both sides to further develop the trade and commercial ties between the two countries and cross the mark of US$2 billion in the coming years and that one of the primary aims to organize the Made in Pakistan single country exhibition is to introduce the diverse goods and commodities being produced in Pakistan to the Sri Lankan consumers.
Sri Lanka is the first country with which Pakistan entered into a Free Trade Agreement for trade of goods in 2005.  While Pakistan listed 206 products as immediate zero duty concession products, Sri Lanka listed 102 products. This FTA is also mindful of Sri Lankan sensitivities and comparative market size, and gave liberal concessions to Sri Lanka in terms of (a) number of items on the negative list; and (b) duty phasing out schedules.

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Asia Leisure ties up with Japanese firm

Asia Leisure, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Asia Capital Group on Friday announced a strategic tie-up with Teoria Investments of Japan, through which Teoria Investments will be making an initial investment of approximately US$ 2 million into ‘Taprobana,’ Asia Leisure’s property in Balapitiya which is currently under construction.
The agreement in this regard was signed by Stefan Abeyesinhe, Director/Acting CEO of Asia Capital PLC and Shigenori Shinagawa, CEO of Teoria Investments, a Japanese asset management company.  This is the company’s first investment in Sri Lanka and marks the company’s diversification into new sectors and can be seen as a strategic private equity investment by the firm.
Speaking about this tie-up, Stefan Abeyesinhe, Director/Acting CEO of Asia Capital said, “This is a very strategic tie up for both the tourism industry of Sri Lanka as well as for our company and marks the first of several projects in the pipeline. We are looking at a large sphere of projects in the future and are looking forward to working with Teoria Investments again.”
Shigenori Shinagawa, CEO of Teoria Investments said, “We are honored and proud that Teoria Investments is acting as a bridge between Japan and Sri Lanka through our investment in this project. We are very excited by what the future holds.”
Asia Wealth Management Company (Pvt) Ltd was the financial advisors to structuring the partnership.
Asia Leisure owns and operates three properties, The Park Street Hotel – Colombo, The River House – Balapitiya and the Tamarind Hill – Galle and is currently constructing two more properties in Wadduwa and Balapitiya. The River House was the first ever Sri Lankan property to be featured in Conde Nast Traveller’s exclusive annual Hot List (2005) as one of the ‘Hottest’ new hotels in the world and Robb Report Recommended 100 Ultimate Luxury Escapes for the second consecutive year.
Teoria Investments is a boutique asset management company based in Tokyo with operations in Thailand as well. Teoria, which means happiness, was started in June 2009 by Shigenori Shinagawa, an asset management professional counting 10 years of experience in the field. Teoria Investments prides itself on having a young and dynamic team of individuals.

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Sheraton to open in October 2013

Lanka Hotels and Residencies (Pvt) Limited on Friday formally entered into an agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. the owners of the ‘Sheraton’ brand to operate and manage Sheraton Colombo.  The new Sheraton hotel in Colombo is expected to open its doors in October 2013.  Lanka Hotels & Residencies (Pvt) Limited and its promoters, Greenwater Resorts (Pvt) Limited of India and Eurocon Building Industries FZC of the UAE together with their Sri Lankan partner are making an investment of USD 80 Million in the new ‘Sheraton’ hotel in Colombo. This will be the first world known international brand hotel which will become operational since the end of the war.
COLOMBO- SHERATON will be a 306- roomed property complete with  a Presidential Suite and other themed luxury suites. The hotel will include a collection of 4 restaurant outlets and is centrally located in Colombo 3. The Architectural contract was awarded to a leading global firm of Architectural Design Consultancies, M/S W.S.Atkins – Designers and Engineers for Burj-Al-Arab, The Address Hotel, Dubai’s Metro System and the Olympic Games in London 2012.  The interior design contract was awarded to M/S Catallo and Associates of Singapore. The shareholders of Lanka Hotels & Residencies have demonstrated their commitment to the importance of Sri Lanka as an emerging market in the hospitality and leisure sector and are actively seeking to make further investments in Sri Lanka.

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SriLankan Airlines opens ticketing office in Jaffna

SriLankan Airlines expands its operations in the North of Sri Lanka, opening its newest Sales Office in the heart of the Jaffna Peninsular on May 4, 2012.

The branch office will facilitate travel formalities to a large clientele in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi areas, being fully equipped to handle reservations, ticketing, Prepaid Ticket Advices (PTAs), requests for special services, information on fares, schedules and packages - essentially offering the same sales activity carried out by any city office of the airline. SriLankan Airlines has appointed Metro Travels & Tours as its Passenger Sales Agency (PSA) to spearhead the operation.

The ceremony began with the blessings of the Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Islamic clergy and was officially opened by the Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, Douglas Devananda. Also in attendance were the Mayor of Jaffna, Yogeshwary Patgunarajah, special invitees of the Government, a contingent of representatives from the airline which included its Chief Marketing Officer, G T Jeyaseelan and several Senior Management officials; representatives of the PSA and the media.

“SriLankan extends its services to support the development and enhancement of the North, which is one of the highest priorities of the government of Sri Lanka,” said SriLankan’s Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe.
Considering the increasing customer base for air travel to and from the northern region, the new operation will expand the size of the airline’s local market.

“We are confident that this initiative will bring more opportunities, just as much as it will fuel the company’s growth. Extending our services to the North has been a priority in our Business Plan,” said SriLankan’s Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena.

“We are reaching out strategically to establish closer links with the communities in every area of Sri Lanka through our network of PSA offices and I am pleased to announce that Jaffna is among the first such PSA offices to be re-opened,” said the airline’s Chief Marketing Officer G T Jeyaseelan. “We are also aware of the great potential for growth in the region.”

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Singer revenue grows by over Rs.1bn to Rs. 6.2 bn

Sri Lanka’s Singer Group has passed a financial milestone during its first quarter ending March 31, 2012 as its revenue grew by over a billion (Rs.1.1 billion in absolute terms) or 22% over the first quarter of the previous year to Rs.6.2 billion, interim results released last week showed. Singer Sri Lanka Group CEO Asoka Pieris stated that the organization’s performance was despite the fact that consumer sentiments were affected by the rupee’s devaluation and sharp increase in electricity and fuel costs.
The growth in the Group’s revenue has boosted its profit before tax by 11% and its profit after tax by 36%.
According to a press release issued by the firm, the Group’s performance was driven, in part, by a surge of sales in major product categories, signaling continued success in its mission to improve Sri Lankan lifestyles. For example, sales of refrigerators increased by 40% over the first quarter of 2011, while sales of domestic and artisan sewing machines improved by 25%. Other product lines which experienced significant increases were fans (74%), microwaves (501%), air conditioners (52%), kitchen appliances (55%), irons (229%), water pumps (45%) and bicycles (61%).
With more than 360 stores island-wide, Singer Sri Lanka also has the country’s most extensive retail network.

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Trade deficit shoots up by 67.5% in February

Sri Lanka’s trade deficit in the month of February 2012 shot up by a sharp 67.5% to US $701.8 bn whilst the cumulative deficit for the two months in 2012 has surged by 59.7% to a near US $1.7 bn, statistics from the Central Bank showed.

In February 2012, although earnings from exports increased by 7.6 per cent to US dollars 879 million, expenditure on imports increased by a sharper 27.9 per cent to US dollars 1,581 million over the corresponding month of the previous year.

The largest contribution to the export earnings in February 2012 was from industrial exports. Industrial exports grew by 3.3 per cent, year-on-year in February 2012 mainly driven by gem, diamonds and jewellery and rubber products. Export earnings from gems, diamonds and jewellery increased by 34.1 per cent. Earnings from rubber based products increased by 17.5 per cent due to the continuous high demand from major export destinations, particularly from the USA. Earnings from textiles and garments exports, which accounted for about 40 per cent of total export earnings, increased moderately by 1.4 per cent. Earnings from petroleum products, transport equipment, food, beverages and tobacco, leather, travel goods and footwear and ceramic products declined in February 2012.

Earnings from agricultural exports declined in February 2012, as a result of lower performance recorded in traditional agricultural exports of tea and rubber. Earnings from tea exports declined by 11.6 per cent, year-on-year, to US dollars 105 million mainly due to geo political uncertainties in major tea importing countries in the Middle East.

Expenditure on imports increased by 27.9 per cent in February 2012 compared to the same month of the previous year. Expenditure on intermediate goods increased by 36.8 per cent to US dollars 947 million mainly due to higher petroleum imports. Expenditure on petroleum imports increased by 111.7 per cent to US dollars 506 million in February 2012 compared to that of February 2011, reflecting substantial increase in both price and volume of imports.

The average price of crude oil imports increased by 16.2 per cent to US dollars 119.86 per barrel in February 2012. Expenditure on imports of textiles and clothing, fertiliser, diamond and precious stones, vehicles and machinery parts and food preparations declined in February 2012. Reflecting continuous expansion in economic activities, investment goods imports grew by 41.3 per cent to US dollars 380 million in February 2012. All three major categories of investment goods; transport equipment, building materials and machinery and equipment recorded growth rates of 74.4 per cent, 38.6 per cent and 25.6 per cent, respectively.

Cumulative expenditure on imports during the first two months of 2012 increased by 24.7 per cent to US dollars 3,496 million. Expenditure on investment goods imports increased by 57.8 per cent to US dollars 903 million, mainly on account of machinery and equipment and transport equipment. Expenditure on imports of intermediate goods increased by 22.2 per cent to US dollars 2,044 million during the first two months of 2012. Expenditure on petroleum imports increased by 58.1 per cent to US dollars 1,021 million. However, expenditure on imports of textiles and clothing and gold decreased by 4.8 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. Expenditure on consumer goods during the first two months of 2012 decreased by 2.2 per cent to US dollars 539 million. The trade deficit during the January-February 2012 stood at US dollars 1,699 million.

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