Biz Round Up 20th Jan

ATTN: CHANDIMA UDABAGE – MD-ART TV BIZ ROUND UP – JANUARY 20, 2007 1. EXPORT EARNINGS

VTR

WEND 16

- MAIN 02 – CHAMINDA

2. FUEL FORWARD

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THUR 17

– ECO.OV

3. MONETARY POLICY

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THUR 17

- MAIN 01 - SHASHIKA

4. JAFF

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TUES 15

- ECO.OV

– RIYAD

- NILANTHA

BREAK WRAP – NEWS IN BRIEF MAIN NEWS 1. GALL LIT

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2. EDEX

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3. COCONUT

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FRI FRI WEDN

18

CORP

- ANOUK

18

MAIN 02

– NISHANI

16

MAIN 03 - SHASHIKA

CORPORATE WRAP 1. DHL

CARD

MOND

14

CORP

- NISHANI

2. TIGO

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WEND

09

CORP

- RIYAD

FRI

18

CORP

3. NATURES’ SECRET VTR

- SAMANTHA

BREAK 2 WEEKLY FOCUS

US ECONOMY SHORT BRIDGE WEEKEND DIALOG

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WEND 16

ECO.OV

RIYAD

KENETH DE SILVA VS VRAI

SHORT BRIDGE STOCKS MANJULA KUMARASINGHE @ ASHAPHILLIPS STOCKBROKERS

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ANCHOR: RAVI PRODUCER: SHASHIKA

HEADLINES 1. SRI LANKA’S TRADE DEFICIT FURTHER WIDENS IN NOVEMBER 2007 AND 2. REMOTE CHANCES OF OIL PRICE STABILITY SAYS LIOC CHIEF

1. SRI LANKA’S BALANCE OF PAYMENT BY END NOVEMBER 2007 REGISTERED A SURPLUS OF 616 MILLION DOLLARS. THE CENTRAL BANK PROJECTS A FIGURE OF 550 MILLION DOLLARS BY END OF 2007 WHICH IF ACHIEVED WILL BE THE HIGHEST B.O.P. SURPLUS SRI LANKA HAS ACHIEVED SO FAR. THE PREVIOUS HIGH OF 502 MILLION DOLLARS WAS RECORDED IN 2003. THE BANK SAYS THIS IS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE INFLOW OF DOLLARS TO THE COUNTRY VIA THE DEBUT DOLLAR BOND ISSUED LAST YEAR. MEANWHILE DURING NOVEMBER THE COUNTRY’S EXPORT EARNINGS CONTRACTED BY 5.1% WHILE THE IMPORT BILL WENT UP BY 15.4%. THE TRADE DEFICIT DURING THE FIRST ELEVEN MONTHS OF 2007 STOOD AT 3.2 BILLION DOLLARS RECORDING A MARGINAL INCREASE OF 1.8 PERCENT COMPARED TO THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 2006. ROLL VTR

2.

CHAIRMAN OF THE CEYLON PETROLEUM CORPORATION ASHANTHA DE MEL SAYS THAT THE NEW LINE OF CREDIT RECEIVED FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN WILL GIVE THE CPC MORE FINANCIAL LEEVERAGE AT A TIME WHERE GLOBAL ENERGY PRICES ARE SKYROCKETING. HE MADE THIS STATEMENT AT A MEDIA CONFERENCE HELD JOINTLY BY THE CPC AND LIOC LAST WEDNESDAY TO DISCLOSE THE FUTURE PLANS OF IMPLEMENTING SAP AS THEIR FUTURE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING OR ERP SYSTEM. ROLL VTR

3. THE CENTRAL BANK HAS SET A GROWTH TARGET OF 15% FOR RESERVE MONEY FOR THIS YEAR WHILE A GROWTH OF 17% HAS BEEN TARGETED FOR BROAD MONEY. ACCORDING TO THE BANK THE ANNUAL AVERAGE INFLATION HAS EDGED UP TO 15.8% ON DECEMBER LAST YEAR. THESE FACTS WERE REVEALED IN THE CENTRAL BANK’S MONETARY REVIEW FOR JANUARY 2008 WHICH WAS RELEASED LAST WEEK.

POLICY

ROLL VTR

4. THE JOINT APPAREL ASSOCIATION FORUM SAYS THAT DESPITE TURBULENT TIMES IN THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC FRONT THE APPAREL INDUSTRY HAS GAINED AN 8% GROWTH IN 2007. SPEAKING TO US – THE CHAIRMAN OF JAAF, AJITH N. DIAS SAID POLICY MAKERS SHOULD COME UP WITH CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS TO STABILIZE INFLATION AND EXCHANGE RATES TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE INDUSTRY. ROLL VTR ROLL VTR WE TAKE A BREAK, STAY WITH US FOR MORE BUSINESS NEWS…… WELCOME BACK…YOU’RE WITH BIZ ROUND UP…. AND NOW WE TAKE A LOOK AT STORIES WHICH MADE HEADLINES IN THE BUSINESS SECTOR LAST WEEK.....

1.

THE GALLE LITERARY FESTIVAL WAS DECLARED OPEN ON THE 16TH OF JANUARY IN GALL.

OVER 40 INTERNATIONAL AND OVER 50 SRI LANKAN AUTHORS PARTICIPATED IN THE 70-ODD EVENTS THAT COLORED THE FESTIVAL.

WERE

THE FESTIVAL HELD FOR FOUR DAYS STARTING FROM THE 16TH TO THE 20TH OF THIS MONTH. THE EVENT WHICH WAS SUPPORTED BY SRI LANKA TOURISM HAS BEEN ORGANIZED BY A COMMITTEE COMPRISING INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL WRITERS AND LITERARY ENTHUSIASTS. THE EVENT CONCLUDED TODAY. READ ON

2. EDEX- 2008, THE NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREERS EXPO COMMENCED AT THE BMICH LAST FRIDAY. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WAS HELD FOR THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, WAS ORGANIZED BY THE ROYAL COLLEGE UNION, ENDS ON SUNDAY. THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND ICTA ARE THE STRATEGIC PARTNERS OF THIS ANNUAL EVENT. THE EXHIBITION CLOSED TONIGHT. READ ON

3. THE COCONUT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TOGETHER WITH THE COCONUT EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED A PROGRAM TO SELL COCONUTS AT A REASONABLE PRICE. THIS PROGRAM AUTHORITY.

WAS

LAUNCHED

LAST

WEEK

AT

THE

COCONUT

DEVELOPMENT

THE COCONUT EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION PLANS TO DISTRIBUTE COCONUTS AT LOWER PRICES RANGING FROM 26 TO 28 RUPEES. READ ON AND IN CO PRATE RAP

1. SRI LANKA’S LEADING EXPRESS AND LOGISTICS OPERATOR DHL KEELLS PRIVATE LTD, RECENTLY OPENED TWO NEW EXPRESS CENTERS IN WATTALA AND PANADURA FURTHER EXPANDING ITS PRESENCE IN THE COUNTRY.

THE NEW FACILITIES ARE MODELLED ON THE CONCEPT OF A WALK-IN RETAIL OUTLET WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN DROP OFF THEIR SHIPMENTS.

2. THE NEW TIGO ZONE LAUNCHED RECENTLY AT NO. 5, R .A. DE MEL MAWATHA COLOMBO 4 IS PART OF TIGO’S STRATEGY OF CONSTANT INNOVATION. THE LOUNGE AND SKY CAFÉ IN TIGO ZONE OFFERS A PLACE FOR EXECUTIVES TO RELAX, UNWIND AND HAVE INFORMAL BUSINESS CHATS.

BUSY

WHILE THE HANGOUT AREA IS CUSTOMIZED FOR THE MODERN TEENAGER, WHO CAN CHILL OUT AND INDULGE IN THE LATEST COMPUTER GAME, WATCH A MOVIE OR BROWSE THE NET. THE TIGO ZONE ALSO ACCOMMODATES THE MORE SERIOUS MINDED CUSTOMERS AT A TRAINING CENTRE WHICH CAN HOLD UP TO 100 PEOPLE. READON

TIGO

3. SRI LANKA’S LEADING HERBAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, NATURE’S BEAUTY CREATIONS LIMITED OPENED ITS NEW FACTORY IN MILLAWA, HORANA LAST WEEK. THE COMPANY SAYS THAT WITH THIS NEW MANUFACTURING PREMISES, IT PLANS TO EXTEND ITS PRODUCTS TO THE GLOBAL MARKET. THE COMPANY SAYS IT HAS INVESTED THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION RUPEES TO SET UP THIS HERBAL PRODUCTS FACTORY WHICH PRODUCES VARIOUS TYPES OF HERBAL COSMETICS SUCH AS HERBAL CREAM, HAIR GEL AND A VARIETY OF OTHER CREAMS. READ ON COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK IS WEEKLY FOCUS…..DO STAY WITH US…. WELCOME BACK THE CURRENT SLIDE OF THE U.S. ECONOMY IS A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR SRI LANKA AS THE U.S. IS THE LARGEST TRADING PARTNER AND IS THE NUMBER ONE DESTINATION FOR SRI LANKAN APPAREL EXPORTS. THE 2008 KICKED OFF WITH SERIOUS CONCERNS REGARDING THE HEALTH OF THE U.S. ECONOMY AS U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES SOARED TO 5% AND THE DOLLAR CONTINUED ITS WEAK STREAK. HOWEVER, SRI LANKAN ECONOMISTS SAY THE ECONOMIC TROUBLES IN THE U.S. ARE A STORM IN A TEA CUP. ROLL VTR NOW LETS JOIN VRAI FOR WEEKLY FOCUS MANJULA AT ASHAPHILLIPS STOCKBROKERS GIVES US AN INDICATION OF WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE CSE THIS WEEK. THAT ENDS BIZ ROUND-UP FOR THIS WEEK…..... THANK U FOR WATCHING…….. DO JOIN US AGAIN AT THE SAME TIME NEXT WEEK….....