29% growth of turnover volumes in April

The total market turnover of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) demonstrated a positive growth of 29.43 percent in the month of April compared to the previous month. 

Market turnover was recorded at Rs.53 billion while domestic turnover has seen a growth of 64 percent, indicating the sustained interest among Sri Lankan investors.

Further highlights of the month included the growth in the benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI), closing at 7,208.20, S&P SL20 index closing at 2,869.25, average number of trades closing at 22,037 while market capitalisation stood at Rs.3.2 trillion.

The primary market has also seen a growth in capital raising, with the debt issuance of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and initial public offering (IPO) of Chrissworld Ltd on the Empower Board. 

Both issuances were oversubscribed on the first day itself and raised Rs.20 billion and Rs.56.25 million, respectively. 
WindForce Ltd was listed on the CSE in April and the company attracted a total foreign investment of Rs.531 million on the very first day of trading. YTD foreign purchases of equity stand at Rs.17.1 billion as at end-April 2021. 

Commenting on the growth, CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike remarked, “We are happy to see investor and issuer confidence in the capital market in equal measure. This is a positive sentiment recorded at the beginning of the second quarter of the year and a continuation of the momentum demonstrated in the first quarter.”