Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Friday, lifted by gains in financial and consumer staple stocks.
The CSE All-Share index rose 0.35% to 11,843.97. On Thursday, the index closed about 0.1% lower.
For the week, however, the index fell 1.7%, stretching losses to a fifth straight week.
Conglomerates Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) PLC and UB Finance Company PLC were the biggest percentage gainers on the CSE All-Share index, rising 33.3% and 16.7%, respectively.
Financial stocks rose 1.42%, while consumer staples rose 1.07%
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The International Monetary Fund said after market hours on Thursday it is assessing Sri Lanka’s recently announced agreement with bondholders to determine whether it complies with the fund’s debt sustainability analysis.
Trading volume rose to 20.7 million shares from 17.6 million in the previous session.
The equity market’s turnover rose to 653.4 million Sri Lankan rupees ($2.2 million), compared with 516.9 million rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.
Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, selling stocks worth 138.9 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 615.7 million rupees, data showed.
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