Shares rebound as financial, industrial stocks gain

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares rebounded to end higher yesterday, helped by gains in financial and industrial stocks.

The CSE All-Share index rose 0.81 percent to end at 10,752.82 points.’ LOLC Finance PLC and Lanka ORIX Leasing Co rose 21.4 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, to be the biggest boosts to the index.

The country’s trade deficit for September narrowed to US $ 495 million from US $ 525 million a year ago, according to data out yesterday. The equity market’s turnover was Rs.6.91 billion, according to stock exchange data.

Trading volume on the exchange rose to 316.1 million shares, up from the 212.8 million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth about Rs.136.7 million, as per exchange data. 

In the last 24 hours, the island nation has reported 697 COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 551,542 with the death toll at 13,995, data from the country’s health bureau showed.

About 62.48 percent of the country’s population is fully vaccinated so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.