Shares jump nearly 2%, return to weekly gains

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares ended nearly 2 percent higher yesterday, extending gains from the previous session and boosted by rising industrial and financial stocks.

The CSE All-Share index (.CSE) rose 1.92 percent to close at 11,393.48. The index ended higher in four of the five previous sessions, gaining 3.7 percent for the week and remaining near record levels.

Expolanka Holdings (EXPO.CM) and Lanka ORIX Leasing Co (LOLC.CM) were the top boosts to the index, jumping 8.2 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.

The country’s Central Bank said it would issue Rs.66 billion (US $ 326.73 million) worth of treasury bills on December 15.

The equity market’s turnover was Rs.7.0 billion (US $ 34.65 million), according to stock exchange data.

Trading volume fell to 359.0 million shares from 490.52 million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth Rs.132.3 million, as per exchange data.

The island-nation reported 744 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 570,672, while deaths rose to 14,555, data from the country’s health bureau showed.

About 63.18 percent of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.