ECONOMYNEXT – Foreign investors bought Sri Lanka rupee bonds for a second straight week in the week ended on October 9, Central Bank data showed, amid a stable rupee.

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka Central Bank stubbornly defended the 5% inflation target it recommended and signed with the government for the next three years citing that it was the only “optimal solution” and rubbished claims that the target is high and erodes the purchasing power of the general public.

Economists and monetary policy critics have strongly advocated that the Central Bank lower its official inflation target from 5% to 2%, emphasizing that a lower target is essential to break the country’s historical cycle of currency instability.

Proponents of the 2% target argue that a 5% baseline implicitly embeds a continuous, compounding erosion of domestic purchasing power, increasing price levels by over 15% across a three-year window.

In a country recovering from hyperinflation, critics contend that a targeted 5% annual inflation creates an environment where nominal prices and living costs permanently outpace real wage growth, continually straining lower- and middle-income households.

However, the Central Bank recommended to the government and signed a three-year agreement to maintain the 5% inflation target for the three years through October 2029.

Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe explained at a panel discussion with his junior officers that countries choose inflation targets depending on their growth potential and ability to grow.

“So, this is where one can argue, why 2% inflation, is it better? Looking at the purchase power, it looks better, but it’s not better,” he told the gathering in response to a question.

“It is worse, because it will create a country that can grow, much lower below its potential…. It’s not welfare optimization. It will make a lot of people worse off than it will make a lot of people better off.”

A primary structural argument for adopting a 2% inflation target centers on external stability and protecting the Sri Lankan rupee.

When Sri Lanka maintains a 5% inflation target while its key international trading partners such as the United States, Eurozone, and major Asian economies  aim for 2%, a structural inflation differential of around 3% is built directly into the economy.

According to economic theory and historical precedent, this persistent inflation gap exerts steady downward pressure on the domestic currency, forcing nominal exchange rate depreciation.

Advocates argue that lowering the target to 2% would align Sri Lanka with global standards, anchor long-term exchange rate expectations, and prevent recurring balance-of-payments vulnerabilities.

Only 5%

However, Weerasinghe said the 5% target has the “right balance” and the Central Bank had conducted extensive research before arriving at the decision.

“I think, we don’t see any other counterfactual to say, it’s not 5%, it’s 4%, or 2%, or 3%, or 6%, or 7%,” he said.

“A lower inflation target can make the solution worse than what we think…. It won’t be better because everyone can be benefited out of higher growth.”

“If you are coming to a solution, where inflation can drag down the growth below potential, that won’t be the optimal solution.”

“We are all convinced and that’s why we have made the recommendation, government also agreed.”

He said the central bank will reassess and come up with the right level that could be lower in the future and that decision will be data-driven and evidence-based.

Analysts have stressed that a 2% inflation target is critical for lowering long-term interest rates and encouraging capital investment.

Under a 5% target, which carries an allowed accountability band of 2 percentage points, permitting inflation to fluctuate between 3% and 7%, lenders and foreign bondholders demand a higher inflation risk premium to compensate for potential price volatility.

This inflates domestic borrowing costs for both private enterprises and the government. By committing to a tighter 2% anchor, the central bank would provide greater policy credibility, reduce nominal interest rates across the yield curve, and foster a far more predictable environment for long-term private sector investment and debt sustainability.

The data showed, the Central Bank missed the inflation targets for most quarters in the three-year period through end September 2026.

The Bank has blamed lower energy prices for disinflation and missing the target below the lower band of 3% and higher energy prices for breaching the target above upper limit of 7%. (Colombo/October 09/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 330.85/95 to the US dollar in the spot market on Friday, from 330.95/331.00 the previous day, while bond yields closed slightly higher, dealers said.

A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 closed at 11.30/35 percent, up from 11.25/35 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2030 closed at 11.37/40 percent, up from 11.30/40 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.02.2031 closed at 11.42/47 percent, up from 11.35/45 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 closed at 11.75/85 percent, up from 11.75/80 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2034 closed at 12.10/15 percent, from 12.05/15 percent. (Colombo/Oct9/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher on Friday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving up 0.41 percent.

The ASPI was up 82.57 points at 20,316.91, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was up 0.45 percent, or 26.19 points, at 5,788.75.

The ASPI ended the week down 496 points from last Friday, amidst a mixed week of trading.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Dialog Axiata (up 0.91 percent at 44.50 rupees), Hatton National Bank (up 0.93 percent at 379.00 rupees), Commercial Bank of Ceylon (up 0.38 percent at 200.00 rupees), Richard Pieris and Company (up 4.30 percent at 26.70 rupees), and Laugfs Gas (up 7.35 percent at 40.90 rupees).

SMB Finance (down 9.09 percent at 1.00 rupee), LOLC Holdings (down 1.25 percent at 415.25 rupees), Haycarb (down 1.37 percent at 198.50 rupees), and Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) (down 16.67 percent at 0.50 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 1.05 billion rupees. Diversified financials led turnover with 233.69 million rupees, followed by capital goods with 200.09 million rupees.

During the session, crossings in Lanka Milk Foods (LMF) in the first half of the trading day drew market interest, Raynal Wickremeratne, Head of Research and Strategy at NDB Securities, said.

“Usually 20,000 is also a psychological limit,” Wickremeratne said. “When it comes back closer to that, people also might feel like it’s worth buying, so that’s why sometimes coming close to that you might have a bit of a move.” (Colombo/Oct09/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka Customs exceeded its September target by 32.1 percent, while the revenue in the first nine months of 2026 jumped around 22 percent compared to the same period last year, official data showed.

Customs’ September revenue target was set at 195.6 billion rupees. However, the revenue-collecting body collected 258.3 billion rupees that month, exceeding the target by nearly a third, according to official data.

It also exceeded the cumulative target for the first nine months by 29.2%, achieving 2,117 billion rupees.

Last year, Customs collected a record 2,551 billion rupees in revenue, exceeding a revised target of 2,241 billion rupees for the year and achieving 64.2% higher revenue than the previous year’s revenue of 1,553 million rupees.

Customs has set a revenue target of 2,207 billion rupees for this year, 13.5% less than last year as it expects a significant decline in car imports. Data showed it achieved 95.9% of this year’s target in the first nine months.

Analysts expect the revenue collecting body to achieve its 2026 full year target by mid-October,

Sri Lanka Customs’ revenue jump is largely due to stronger enforcement, improved valuation practices, and a rebound in import volumes after years of contraction.

Following the 2022 economic crisis, imports fell sharply as the country imposed restrictions to conserve foreign exchange.

However, with the stabilization of reserves, the relaxation of certain import controls, and a steady recovery in consumer demand, customs collections from import duties, excise, and other levies have risen.

Officials note that tighter monitoring of under-invoicing and misdeclaration of goods has also contributed to boosting state revenue.

The combined effect of increased import activity, currency movements, and stricter enforcement has positioned Customs as one of the top revenue sources for the Treasury in 2025, providing a vital cushion as the state works to meet fiscal targets under the IMF-supported program. (Colombo/October 09/2026)