Weekly Economic Indicators - 30 April 2026

30 April 2026 Highlights of the Week Real Sector

In March 2026, Purchasing Managers' Index for Construction Industry, as reflected by the Total Activity Index, expanded on a month-on-month basis.

During the period from 27 to 30 April 2026, crude oil prices increased mainly due to continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, restricting global oil supply. Further, prices sharply increased at the end of the period on speculation regarding longer delays in peace talks between the US and Iran. Overall, by end of the period, Brent and WTI crude oil prices increased by US dollars 14.03 per barrel and US dollars 10.56 per barrel, respectively, compared to a week ago.

Monetary Sector

Weekly Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPR) for the week ending 30 April 2026 decreased by 6 bps to 9.57 per cent compared to the previous week.

The Average Weighted Call Money Rate (AWCMR) increased to 7.73 per cent on 30 April 2026 compared to 7.72 per cent at the end of last week.

The reserve money decreased compared to the previous week mainly due to the decrease in currency in circulation.

The total outstanding market liquidity was a surplus of Rs.218.70 bn by 30 April 2026, compared to a surplus of Rs.199.17 bn by the end of last week.

By 30 April 2026, the All-Share Price Index (ASPI) decreased by 0.08 per cent to 22,549.53 points and the S&P SL 20 Index increased by 0.05 per cent to 6,207.56 points, compared to the index values of last week.

Fiscal Sector

During the week, Treasury Bill yields remained broadly stable in both the primary and secondary markets, except for the marginal increase in the 91 days T-Bills yield in the secondary market.

The rupee value of T-Bills and T-Bonds held by foreign investors remained broadly stable compared to the previous week.

In the reporting week, the auction for T-Bills experienced an oversubscription rate of approximately 2.2 times.

The total volume of secondary market transactions in T-Bills and T-Bonds decreased by approximately 20.9 per cent in the reporting week compared to the week before.

External Sector

Year to date depreciation of Sri Lanka rupee against the US dollar was 2.9 per cent as of 30 April 2026.

The gross official reserves were provisionally estimated at US dollars 7,026 mn as at end March 2026. This includes proceeds from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) swap arrangement.

The merchandise trade deficit widened to US dollars 2,310 mn during the first quarter of 2026, compared to US dollars 1,540 mn recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Export earnings increased by 3.4 per cent (year-on-year) to US dollars 3,461 mn, while Import expenditure increased by 18.1 per cent (year-on-year) to US dollars 5,771 mn during the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period of 2025.

The terms of trade deteriorated by 2.2 per cent (year-on-year) to 82.6 index points in March 2026, as the decrease in export prices exceeded the decrease in the import prices.

NCPI(2021=100) NCPI-Year-on-Year%

CCPI(2021=100)