COLOMBO, Sept. 3 (ePRESS) – The Colombo Stock Exchange closed weaker on Tuesday after a volatile day of trading, with selling pressure dragging the main index down.
The All Share Price Index (ASPI) slipped 15 points to finish at 20,976. The index showed strength in early trading but later came under heavy profit booking. It managed a partial recovery before closing lower than the previous day.
Banks were the main draggers, with HNB, NDB and Commercial Bank leading the declines. RICH and JKH also weighed on the market.
Turnover reached LKR 6.5 billion, close to the monthly average of LKR 6.9 billion, as both retail and high-net-worth investors showed moderate activity. The Consumer Durables & Apparel sector led with 20 percent of turnover, while Consumer Services and Capital Goods together added 31 percent.
DPL topped the board with a turnover of LKR 1.2 billion, making up 18 percent of the day’s activity, and also led market volumes with 57 million shares traded. LVEF followed with a turnover of LKR 310 million and 25.7 million shares. Total market volumes fell to 260.9 million shares.
Foreign investors were net buyers, bringing in LKR 53.3 million. HNB, MELS and MASK attracted the highest foreign inflows, while DIPD, HHL and BPPL saw the largest outflows.
(Courtesy: First Capital Research)
