Sri Lankan shares post first gain in five sessions, but end week lower

Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Thursday, led by real estate and consumer discretionary stocks.

The CSE All-Share index rose 0.24% to 21,117.42, snapping a four-day losing run. The index closed 1.2% lower for the week.

Conglomerates Kerner Haus Global Solutions Plc and Hunter & Company Plc were the biggest boosts to the index, rising 23% and 20.2%, respectively.

Trading volume dropped to 6.4 million shares from 165.2 million in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover shrank to 1.77 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($5.6 million), compared with 3.57 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market of stocks worth 113 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers of shares worth 1.72 billion rupees, data showed.