ECONOMYNEXT \u2013 Sri Lanka recorded a 133 million US dollar surplus in its current account in August 2026, official data showed, following four months of deficits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe surplus was supported by the lower trade deficit compared to recent months, reflecting lower import expenditure,\u201d the central bank said.<\/p>\n
The current account recorded a deficit of 291 million dollars during January-August 2026, due to pressures on the external sector from the escalation of the conflict in West Asia.<\/p>\n
The current account is a mirror image of the financial account (subject to errors and omissions).<\/p>\n
The merchandise trade deficit widened in August 2026, year-on-year, due to higher import expenditure and lower export earnings. <\/p>\n
The total trade deficit during January\u2013August 2026 widened to 7.2 billion dollars, from 4.3 billion the previous year.<\/p>\n
Total fuel import costs were around 4 billion dollars during January\u2013August 2026, a 61.6 percent year-on-year increase. <\/p>\n
Fuel import costs dropped for the fourth consecutive month in August 2026. <\/p>\n
Motor vehicle import costs was 189 million dollars in August, a 24.2 percent drop from the same period last year.<\/p>\n
Total motor vehicle imports during January\u2013August 2026 was 1,684 million dollars.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe terms of trade deteriorated on a year-on-year basis in August 2026, as import prices increased at a faster pace than export prices. Similarly, the terms of trade deteriorated during January\u2013August 2026 compared to the corresponding period of 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n
The services account recorded a surplus of 220 million dollars in August, a 24.4 percent reduction from last August. <\/p>\n
The total services account surplus during January-August 2026 fell 21.4 percent to 2.1 billion dollars, on a year-on-year basis.<\/p>\n
Tourist arrivals fell 3.3 percent in the month compared to last August. <\/p>\n
Total arrivals during January-August 2026 fell 2 percent, compared to the corresponding period of 2025. <\/p>\n
Tourism earnings were estimated at 264 million dollars in August, a 2.1 percent increase from a year earlier. <\/p>\n
But total tourism earnings during January-August 2026 fell 10 percent to 2.1 billion dollars, compared to 2025. <\/p>\n
Workers\u2019 remittances increased by 10 percent to 749 million in August and by 19.8 percent to 6.1 billion dollars during January-August. <\/p>\n
Foreign investment in the government securities market saw a net inflow of 70.2 million dollars in the month.<\/p>\n
Foreign investment in the Colombo Stock Exchange saw a net outflow of 58.1 million dollars.<\/p>\n
Gross official reserves increased to 6.9 billion dollars by end August.<\/p>\n
By end At the end of September, the rupee had depreciated by 6.3 percent against the US dollar on a year-to-date basis. (Colombo\/Oct1\/2026)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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