Broad gains lift Sri Lankan shares higher

Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Wednesday, aided by gains across sectors led by communication services and utilities.

The CSE All Share index settled up 0.70% at 20,714.80, rising for the fourth straight session.

SMB Finance PLC and Amana Takaful Life PLC were the top percentage gainers on the CSE All Share index, rising 33.3% and 24.8%, respectively.

Trading volume on the CSE All Share index rose to 452.2 million shares from 234.5 million in the previous session.

Healthcare gains boost Sri Lankan shares

The equity market’s turnover rose to 11.14 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($36.94 million) from 10.85 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 1.4 billion rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 10 billion rupees, the data showed.