Sri Lanka shares end lower as industrials, healthcare drag

Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Wednesday, hurt by industrials and healthcare stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.91% lower at 11,406.56.

Sri Lanka’s key inflation rate fell 0.5% month-on-month in July after a 0.8% rise in June, the statistics department said on Wednesday.

The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) rose to 2.4% year-on-year in July, after a 1.7% rise in June.

Nuwara Eliya Hotels Co Plc and Hunter & Company Plc were the top losers on the index, declining 9.2% and 3.2%, respectively.

Sri Lanka shares fall as communication services and energy stocks weigh

Trading volume on the index rose to 197.7 million shares from 29.1 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover rose to 3.97 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($13.13 million) from 558.6 million rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 3.09 billion rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 937.4 million rupees, the data showed.