Investment in Emerging Markets Booming

More and more experts are tipping investment in emerging  markets are forecast to represent up to 75% of global growth in the near future, proof that now is the time to make investment in property, stocks and equities in these countries. Emerging markets, particularly the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), are now leaving the recession behind and are expected to lead the rest of the world out of the economic downturn. Speaking in Seoul, Allan Conway, head of emerging market equities at Schroder Investment Management, said that as emerging markets drive world growth, they will represent “70% to 75% of global growth for the foreseeable future.” According to Bloomberg, the top ten global highest performing benchmark indexes this year are all emerging markets. Indexes in Argentina and Sri Lanka have more than doubled while Brazil's stock exchange has increased in value by 55% so far during 2009.  Conway went on to say that because of increasing domestic demand - Brazil saw a 2.1% quarterly increase in Q2 - and growing trade between developing nations (Brazil and China are ever-bigger trade partners), “emerging market growth looks much better than developed economies.” According to Conway, the BRIC nations are in an “early stage” of development, which is set to take off. “The importance of BRICs will just get bigger and bigger,” he said, emphasising that this is not a short-term phenomenon but one that is here to stay. Domestic demand in the BRIC nations is huge and rising. Between them, the four countries have a population of 2.9 billion and purchasing power in the quartet is rising fast, creating huge internal markets. Better credit conditions - for example, Brazil has historically low interest rates and record consumer credit - also adds to consumer demand. Source: Investment International

Sri Lanka east coast to get new hotels

Oct 15, 2009 (LBO) - The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has approved the construction of new hotels on a prime beach property on the island's east coast following the end of the war, a senior official said.


S Kalaiselvam, director general, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, said the country aims to add about 20,000 hotel rooms in the next seven years to cater to the anticipated boom in tourism.


Read More: http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1717299991

Sri Lankan finance company makes big loss

Sri Lankan finance company makes big loss

Oct 21, 2009 (LBO) –Sri Lanka's The Finance Company (TFC), a former unit of the troubled Ceylinco Group, said it made a 2.5 billion rupee loss in 2008, owing to a slump in property prices and a run on deposits.

TFC said in a statement the company had been adversely affected by the high profile collapses of unregistered finance companies which triggered a run on deposits at other firms.

TFC was an influential player in the property market with large holdings of land in the city and suburbs. However with the burst of the property bubble, land values have shrunk.

Read More: http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1827494080

Seminar on new system replacing deed registration of property

Seminar on new system replacing deed registration of property

A seminar on “Registration of title to property” organised by Alumni Association of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) Sri Lanka with the collaboration of Ministry of Lands & Land Development, Ministry of Justice & Law Reforms and Association of Corporate Lawyers of Sri Lanka will be held on October 30 at the Excel World from 9.30 am to  4.00 pm.The Registration of Title Act of 1998 (RTA) replaces deeds registration with registration of title to lands in areas where its application has been introduced by Gazette. Under this new system, ownership of land is based on a Certificate of Title. The man objective of title registration is to grant government guaranteed land title to private land owners. A system of stable property rights without labor intensive searches enhances the credibility and marketability of lands. This is a great incentive to entrepreneurs and the private sector, which is the backbone of the economy of our country. It is also the main purpose for which the Act is implemented. The process of title registration, which has now picked up momentum under the Bim Saviya Program of the Ministry of Lands and Land Development, includes the issuing of Cadastral maps for blocks of land  and the issuing of Title Certificates replacing deeds at the cost and expense of the government. This new system will soon apply to lands in Colombo and several other Districts. Read more: http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=65627

As the gunfire ends, Sri Lanka's property boom begins

As the gunfire ends, Sri Lanka's property boom begins

By Bandula Sirimanna

Just like many industries, the condominium sector is also adversely affected by the global economic recession and the instability caused in some finance companies in the country but the industry expects high demand in the market with the dawn of peace. In this backdrop the Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka (CCI) has initiated action to revitalise the construction industry by extending assistance to the property development sector and the built environment which are paramount to the construction industry. The Chamber has decided to make available a dedicated pavilion for badly affected property developers at the International Construction Trade Fair Excon 2009 from October 30-November 1, Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya, Chief Executive of the CCI told the Sunday Times FT. Speaking on the sidelines of the press conference convened to announce details of the exhibition in Colombo he said that in order to overcome the non availability of easy access to obtaining bonds and guarantees for property developers , the chamber is at present in the process of formulating a conceptual framework of bonds and guarantee scheme where the chamber envisages to play the role of a “Surety Agent” as available in many other developed and developing countries, he said. There are many property developers who are unable to recover their investments as apartments/housing units remain unsold. Further, some developers who have made sizeable investments are unable to secure additional funding required to complete ongoing projects thus bringing them to a standstill, due to reasons such as lack of investors, stagnation of demand, reluctance of the banking community to lend to this sector, and the credit freeze encountered as a result of the global recession, he said. He added that the CCI has conducted a survey to identify the affected property developers and help them to sell their apartment units by showcasing their projects at Excon 2009. Some projects which were in the initial construction stage would also be promoted among potential investors, he said. Source: Sunday Times - http://www.sundaytimes.lk/091025/FinancialTimes/ft33.html

Sri Lanka Ceylon Theatres hit by property market slump

Sri Lanka Ceylon Theatres hit by property market slump

Oct 06, 2009 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Ceylon Theatres group has completed a big high-rise project with 80 percent of luxury apartments sold but was struggling to sell the rest as higher costs caused losses in the property unit.

However, chairman Anthony Page said he was optimistic the end of the island's war and economic recovery would enable the group to make better use of its real estate assets in which investments were continuing.Group net profits for the March 31, 2009 financial year fell 21 percent to 326 million rupees from a year ago, according to the annual report filed with the stock exchange.
Sales rose 21.11 percent to 38.6 billion rupees over the same period with the group's retail and fast moving consumer goods business enjoying what Page called above average growth.
The group's real estate and property business suffered a "substantial set back" in the year, Page told shareholders in his annual report.
Group subsidiary CT Properties completed the ‘Empire’ apartment project, a twin-towered, high-rise built on prime property in the heart of the capital Colombo where a cinema by the same name had stood.

More - http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1850811902
Source - LBO

Sri Lanka ‘experiencing international property boom’

Sri Lanka ‘experiencing international property boom'

Sri Lanka is experiencing a major property boom now that its civil war is over, it has been reported.

In a feature on the island, the Daily Mail noted that investors have been more confident about buying on the island since last year saw the last Tamil Tiger stronghold fall in the north.

The paper noted the example of Charlie Wrey and his wife Tweenie, who have been managing a hotel in the southern city of Galle and now plan to purchase a tea plantation inland.

Mr Wray said: "There is a bullish atmosphere now the war is over, with property deals being done the whole time."

The paper noted that offshore property buyers often favour Galle as a major centre of tourism for westerners with its 17th century Dutch fort, which overlooks the city’s international cricket ground.

Investors looking to the Galle area may also be attracted by its rail link to the country’s financial capital Colombo, as well as its proximity to the popular resorts of Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna.

Written by Tom Britten. Source: Halifax http://www.halifax-international-expats.com/sri-lanka-experiencing-international-property-boom-19401307/

As the gunfire ends, Sri Lanka's property boom begins

With its 25-year civil war over, Sri Lanka is enjoying rising tourism - and the return of investors to the home market.

For somewhere the size of Ireland , Sri Lanka packs an alluring punch with its palm-tree-fringed beaches, colonial tea plantations, unique wildlife and ancient cities and temples. But the savage war that has raged for more than 25 years between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority has had a devastating effect on the island's economy and tourism.

The insurgency was formally declared over last May when the last stronghold of the Tamil Tigers was taken, and the effect was immediate. By August, tourism was 35 per cent up on 2008, and enterprising locals are predicting a sharp revival of the island's economic fortunes.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1219074/As-gunfire-ends-Sri-Lankas-property-boom-begins.html#ixzz0Tts7QYPM

Chinese assistance for a new housing project in Sri Lanka

July 15, Colombo: Sri Lankan and Chinese Governments today signed an agreement to construct urban housing project of 130,000 units in selected areas of Colombo and its suburbs.

The agreement for this project worth of 1.2 billion rupees was signed this morning at the Ministry of Constructing and Engineering Services.

Construction and Engineering Services Minister, Dr. Rajitha Senaratna and Liu Wei, the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese International Economic and Technical Cooperative Agency signed the agreement on behalf of the two governments.

The houses are to be constructed at Dematagoda, Panchikawaththa, Ragama and Keppitipola Mawatha in Colombo.

Minister Senarathna told the media that the housing project would be completed on two years.

Source: Colombopage.com

Sri Lankan real estate company hit by falling prices

COLOMBO, Jun 1, 2009 (Asia In Focus via COMTEX) -- EQY | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The real estate arm of Sri Lanka's CARSONS CUMBERBATCH group said it was writing down the values of properties by 450.3 million rupees (US$3.9 million) as the prices slumped in the wake of tight monetary policy. "This year has been a challenging year where we saw a significant market correction on the property prices as a result of tighter credit conditions and a change in investor and customer attitude on real estate," EQUITY ONE LTD, a Carsons property firm said in a statement. 

* "The property values have reflected changes in interest rates and risk.

* "Unrest in the financial markets and uncertainty in the wider economy have added to the crisis of the property market."

For full details on Equity One Inc (EQY) click here. Equity One Inc (EQY) has Short Term PowerRatings of 3. Details on Equity One Inc (EQY) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

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Demand for property set to increase

With the conclusion of Sri Lanka's 30 year civil war the property market looks like a clear winner with locals and expats expected to look for real estate investment. However with a global recession slowly rearing it's head in Sri Lanka and the supply of condominiums outweighing the demand, property prices aren't expected to rise dramatically in the near future.