Shares extend gains as financials, industrials rise

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares ended higher for a second straight session yesterday, helped by gains in industrial and financial stocks.

The benchmark stock index closed 1.42 percent higher at 7,476.34. Conglomerate Expolanka holdings jumped 15.1 percent as the top boost on the index, while Browns Investments gained 7.4 percent.

Tess Agro added 40 percent to end the day as the top percentage gainer on the index.

Sri Lanka’s consumer prices rose 3.3 percent year-on-year in February compared with a 3 percent rise in January, data from the statistics department showed.

Trading volume on the CSE All Share Index rose to 101 million from 75.7 million in the previous session.
Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading Rs.854.7 million (US$ 4.41 million) worth of shares, according to exchange data.

Equity market turnover was Rs.3.01 billion, data showed.
The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 194 against the U.S. dollar, as of 1109 GMT.