Thursday Feb 19, 2026
Thursday Feb 19, 2026
Thursday, 19 February 2026 02:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Wealth Trust Securities
The weekly Treasury Bill auction conducted yesterday registered a positive outcome, with yields continuing to trend downward. The weighted average rates declined across all maturities for the fifth consecutive week.
The shorter-tenor maturities saw a more pronounced downward adjustment, with the rate on the 91-day Bill declining by six basis points to 7.66% and the rate on the 182-day Bill dropping by eight basis points to 7.99%. The 364-day Bill saw its yield ease more modestly, by four basis points to 8.27%.
The auction was fully subscribed, raising the entire Rs. 60 billion offered. Total bids reached 2.87 times the offered amount.
The Phase II subscription across all three maturities is now open until 3 p.m. of business day prior to settlement date (i.e., 19.02.2026) at the WAYRs determined for the said ISINs at the auction.
Meanwhile, the secondary Bond market yesterday saw rates edge up on the back of profit taking pressure. market activity and transaction volumes were seen moderating compared to recent sessions.
In terms of the Secondary Bond market trade summary, the 01.08.26 maturity traded at the rate of 8.05%. The 01.05.27 maturity traded at the rates of 8.39%-8.40% and the 15.09.27 maturity traded at the rates of 9.44%-9.45%. The 15.03.28 maturity traded at the rates of 9.02%-9.05%. The 01.07.28 maturity traded at the rate of 9.05%. The 15.06.29 and 15.09.29 maturities traded at the rates of 9.34% and 9.44%-9.45% respectively. The 01.03.30 maturity traded up the range of 9.52%-9.55%. The 15.03.31 maturity traded higher at the rate of 9.75%. The 15.12.32 maturity traded at the rate of 10.15%. The 01.06.33 maturity traded higher at the rates of 10.43%-10.45%. The 01.07.37 maturity traded at the rates of 10.86%-10.87%.
In the meantime, the net liquidity surplus in money market was recorded at Rs. 282.43 billion yesterday up from Rs 270.41 billion recorded the day prior. An amount of Rs 257.91 billion was deposited at Central Bank’s SDFR (Standing Deposit Facility Rate) of 7.25% as against an amount of Rs. 0.49 billion withdrawn from the Central Bank’s SDFR (Standing Deposit Facility Rate) of 8.25%.
The Domestic Operations Department (DOD) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was seen draining out an amount of Rs. 25 billion by way of overnight repo auction at a weighted average rate of 7.64%.
The weighted average rates on overnight call money and Repo yesterday stood at 7.67% and 7.68% respectively.
Forex market
In the forex market, the USD/LKR rate on spot contracts closed the day at 309.35/309.40, as against its previous day’s closing level of Rs. 309.40/309.50.
The total USD/LKR traded volume for 17 February was Rs. 45.45 million.
(References: Public Debt Management Office - Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Bloomberg E-Bond Trading Platform, Money Broking Companies)
