• In the case of Treasury Bills, newspaper advertisements are published on every Monday and the auctions are held on Wednesdays. I don’t think the “stupid” is a proper word there as the “smart” investors also fail in most of investing or speculating ( like famous case of LTCM -click ). • Foreign investors can purchase up to 10% of the total outstanding Treasury Bills or Bonds at any given time. The real time prices are just distractions. • Primary Dealers/Commercial Banks quote buying and selling prices of Treasury Bills, Treasury Bonds daily for different maturities. • Since these bills/bonds are tradable in the secondary market, you can obtain instant liquidity by selling them in the market. • You can get the highest rate of interest since the yield rates are determined in the market. My favorite just happens to be SUBJECT TO, as it doesn’t get any better. • You are not subject to further taxation, since a withholding tax of 10 percent is charged at source is the final tax. Now that marketers are shifting to online, this is probably the final nail in the coffin. Regardless of the reasons, the home renovations industry is booming, and now is the time to get involved.

• You can get the best service from the CBSL which maintains your investment in its state of the art, Scripless Security Settlement System and the fully automated Central Depository System (CDS). • Sri Lankan Government debt securities are scripless and the securities transfer is done on an electronic basis. • Treasury Bond series available for foreigners are announced by the Public Debt Department via e-mail to all participants in the Central Depositary System. • Treasury Bills are issued weekly, while 3-4 Treasury Bond auctions are held every month based on the Government’s cash requirement. • In order to make arrangement for fund transfers, you can advise your own bank to open a Rupee account named “Treasury bond Investment External Rupee Account (TIERA)” in an LCB in Sri Lanka. • In order to make arrangement for fund transfers, you can advise your own bank to open a Rupee account named “Treasury bill Investment External Rupee Account – 2 (TIERA – 2)” in an LCB in Sri Lanka.

Ownership of securities is recorded in the Central Depository System maintained by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Calculation of interest payments will be based on the six month London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) for USD per annum plus a margin determined through competitive bidding at the auction. • Investors can also buy tradable securities already issued to the market by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. • Sri Lanka Development Bonds : Available to foreign investors, Sri Lankan diaspora living/working abroad and Specified Companies. Corporate bodies incorporated outside Sri Lanka. • Treasury Bills : Available to foreign investors, Sri Lankan diaspora living/working abroad and Sri Lankan citizens. • Treasury Bonds : Available to foreign investors, Sri Lankan diaspora living/working abroad and Sri Lankan citizens. • Inflation-linked Bonds : Available only to Sri Lankan citizens. What are the Main Features of Treasury Bonds? What are the Main Features of Treasury Bills? Can I Invest in Treasury Bills/Bonds?

How Can I Apply for Treasury Bonds? • You can purchase Treasury bonds from the secondary market or you can even send bids to the primary auctions through PDs. • You can purchase Treasury bills by sending bids to the primary auctions through PDs or through direct placements. How Can I Apply for Treasury Bills? • You can purchase Treasury bills at any time through Primary Dealers (PDs) or Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs) registered with the CBSL. Settlement is via the electronic payment system and the Real Time Gross Settlement System on a delivery vs. • You can purchase Treasury bonds at any time through Primary Dealers (PDs) or Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs) registered with the CBSL. You can buy or sell ETFs through your stockbroker just like shares. Additional options are available such as leveraged ETFs or short ETFs, which will have a compound or inverse response, respectively, to the underlying index. Costs: Apart from cost of staffing and training, there will be a requirement of huge investment to build a data center.

Even you are successful retail investor; it is still boring as there is no craftsmanship to shout loud. There are ways to “invest” (or maybe we should call it profiteer) in trouble, but a high cash position is still wise. • Investors are required to maintain accounts with Commercial Banks or Primary Dealers for cash settlement for their transactions as well as for the crediting of coupon payments. It covers way more than just an assignment of mortgage payments and is presented in a clean and easy to read format that can be referenced quickly when needed. Over a lifetime of investing, we will literally make hundreds of buy and sell decisions, like going through hundreds of fork roads on our way up the mountain. Hence, it is a very good way to share your investments with loved persons. To be successful in property investment, you will either need to make a huge capital appreciation from the disposal of your properties or generating good rental returns from your tenants. • All receipts of interest, maturity proceeds and capital gains are fully repatriable. • No stamp duty is payable on these bills/bonds.