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PMI Comparison: March vs April 2026
Comparison of Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) values across sectors for March and April 2026.
Primary Sources
Inflation to hit 5% - Ceylon Today
Headline inflation is expected to accelerate toward the target of five per cent in the near term at a faster pace than previously anticipated, driven mainly by energy price adjustments amid spillovers from the ongoing Middle East war, Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL’s) 2025 Annual Economic Review (AER) released recently (20 April 2026) said. However, these projections are conditional on the assumed path of global energy and food prices; the expected growth path of Sri Lanka’s major trading partners; the anticipated fiscal path of the Government; expected developments in the external sector, including the external current account balance and global financial conditions implied by the Fed Funds rate, it said. Further, the projections are conditional on the model-consistent interest rate path and the resulting macroeconomic responses. These projections are based on information available as of the monetary policy round in March 2026 and are subject to change in the event of significant shifts in underlying global and domestic conditions, CBSL said. CBSL also said that as per projections made prior to the escalation of the Middle East war, inflation was expected to continue its gradual acceleration and move towards the target of five per cent by the second half of 2026. However, the substantial external shock to the economy from the impact of the Middle East war has necessitated considerable revisions in macroeconomic projections. In particular, energy and transport inflation is expected to accelerate at a faster pace in the near term, driven by recent price adjustments and elevated global energy prices amid the current Middle East war and related spillover effects. Contributed by these dynamics, headline inflation is also expected to accelerate. However, as per currently available information, inflation is projected to remain within the ±2 pps (two percentage points) margin of the target in the period ahead. The current assumption internalised in the projections, based on available information, is that the effects of the Middle East war would be transitory and that economic activity would gradually return to normal afterwards, although there is severe uncertainty regarding the duration and magnitude of these effects. Reflecting this assessment, inflation is expected to record some corrective downward adjustment during 2027. Over the medium term, inflation is expected to stabilise around the five per cent target, supported by appropriate policy measure...
Fuel costs and holiday slowdown drag private sector activity
Sri Lanka's private sector activity lost momentum in April as post-New Year seasonality, rising energy costs and fallout from Middle East tensions weighed on both manufacturing and services ...
SL Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - April 2026 | Central Bank of Sri ...
Purchasing Managers' Indices indicate a contraction in Manufacturing activities and Services activities in April 2026.Following the seasonal pattern, Sri Lanka Purchasing Managers' Index for Manufacturing (PMI - Manufacturing) contracted in April 2026, recording an index value of 42.6. New Orders, Production, Employment, and Stock of Purchases sub-indices declined during the month ...
Manufacturing, services PMI slows down in April | Daily FT
The country's manufacturing and services sectors suffered a contraction in April, though at a slower pace to marginal growth as per the Purchasing Managers' Indices (PMI). The index compiler, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said the Manufacturing PMI contracted in April 2026, registering an index value of 42.6, indicating a setback in activities on a month-on-month basis compared to ...
