Shares end higher as material, industrial sectors gain

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares closed slightly higher yesterday, helped by gains in material and industrial stocks.
The CSE All-Share Index ended up 0.34 percent at 7,217.83. The index last week posted a second straight weekly gain, rising 1.35 percent.

Conglomerate Hayleys and activated carbon manufacturer Haycarb were the top boosts to the index yesterday, gaining 5.7 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank said on Sunday there was no plan to delay or defer payments on account of Sri Lanka Development Bonds and Foreign Currency Loans obtained by the government from domestic banks. 

(https://bit.ly/3cRL0kq) Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has temporarily suspended its COVID-19 vaccination programme due to a delay in securing AstraZeneca shots from the Serum Institute of India, media reports https://bit.ly/3dPpvAf said last week. Trading volume fell to 77.6 million, from 86.3 million in the previous session. 

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading Rs.638 million (US $ 3.21 million) worth of shares, according to exchange data. 

Equity market turnover was Rs.2.1 billion, exchange data showed.

The Sri Lankan rupee was quoted at 199 against the U.S. dollar as of 1210 GMT, according to Refinitiv data.