Industrial companies lift shares

RUETERS: Sri Lankan shares closed higher yesterday, boosted by gains in industrial and consumer discretionary stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled up 0.18 percent at 7,866.47. It ended 1.36 percent higher last week, led by gains in financial stocks.

Conglomerates Expolanka Holdings and Vallibel One PLC were among top boosts to the index, up about 3 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively.

Domestic coronavirus cases continued to rise, with total confirmed infections in the country increasing to 274,538, while the death toll was at 3,502 as of yesterday, according to Health Ministry data. 

The island nation has fully vaccinated about 6.53 percent of its population so far, according to the data from Johns Hopkins.

Trading volume on the exchange fell to 120.8 million shares, from 446.9 million shares in the previous session.
Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 726.6 million rupees, exchange data showed. 

The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 198.5 against the U.S. dollar as of 1059 GMT, according to Refinitiv data.
The equity market’s turnover was Rs.2.26 billion (US $ 11.37 million), according to exchange data.