Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 316.50/75 to the US dollar in the spot market on Tuesday, marginally weaker than Monday’s 316.30/70, while government bond yields were largely steady, dealers said.
The interbank rate continues to sit below retail quotes at commercial banks, where Newswire data showed Commercial Bank’s selling rate touching Rs. 320 on Tuesday — a new milestone above the Rs. 319 level that prevailed a week ago. Seylan Bank quoted Rs. 318.65, NDB and Sampath held at Rs. 319.75, and People’s Bank at Rs. 319.96.
At the short end of the yield curve, the bond maturing on 15 December 2026 closed at 8.55/70 percent, up from 8.45/55 percent. The 01 May 2027 bond traded at 8.85/95, and the 01 July 2028 paper at 9.65/75.
In the belly of the curve, the 15 October 2029 bond closed at 9.95/97 percent and the 15 December 2029 at 9.95/10.00 percent. The 01 July 2030 maturity eased to 10.12/17 percent from 10.15/20.
Longer-dated bonds firmed. The 01 October 2032 closed at 10.65/75, the 01 June 2033 at 10.95/11.00 percent, and the 15 June 2034 at 10.95/11.00 — a sharp narrowing from 11.08/17 the previous day.
An auction of Rs. 110 billion in Treasury bills is scheduled for Wednesday, 22 April. The cut-off yields will offer the first read on primary-market appetite since the rupee stabilised and will feed into the Monetary Policy Board’s next rate review, which will also weigh March’s 2.4% NCPI inflation print.
