Shares end at record high on industrials boost

REUTERS: Industrial stocks powered Sri Lankan shares to a record closing high yesterday, a day after the main index crossed the 11,000 level for the first time.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.15 percent higher at 11,024.89 points, hitting a record for the third straight day.
Conglomerate Expolanka Holdings PLC and Royal Ceramics Lanka were the top boosts to the index, climbing 6.1 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.

The equity market’s turnover was Rs.10.25 billion (US $ 51.00 million), according to stock exchange data here.
Trading volume on the exchange fell to 384.6 million shares, from 538.8 million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth about Rs.939.2 million, as per exchange data.

The Sri Lankan stock market is closed today for a holiday.

The island-nation reported 720 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 552,994, data from the country’s health bureau showed.

It reported 18 fatalities due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 14,034, according to the data.

About 62.68 percent of the country’s population is fully vaccinated so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.