Bourse closes in red

Indices closed in red as a result of price losses in counters such as Nestle, Hemas Holdings and DFCC Bank whilst turnover crossed Rs 860 Mn. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in John Keells Holdings, Sampath Bank, Distilleries and Hatton National Bank, accounting for 53.2% of turnover. Mixed interest was observed in Seylan Bank nonvoting, whilst retail interest was noted in Softlogic Capital, Nation Lanka Finance and Three Acre Farms. Meanwhile, foreigners remained active closing as net sellers mainly due to foreign selling in John Keells Holdings. Total foreign sales accounted for 44.2% of turnover.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to Sampath Bank, Hatton National Bank and Seylan Bank nonvoting) whilst the sector index lost 0.18%. The share price of Sampath Bank l ost Rs 1.00 (0.39%) to close at Rs 254.00. The share price of Hatton National Bank recorded a loss of Rs 0.50 (0.23%) to close at Rs 219.00. The share price of Seylan Bank nonvoting declined by Rs 1.40 (1.93%) to close at Rs 71.00.

Diversified sector was t he second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index decreased by 0.84%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs 1.20 (0.62%) closing at Rs 193.20 whilst foreign holdings decreased by 1,365,563 shares.

Distilleries was also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Distilleries moved up by Rs 2.50 (0.93%) to close at Rs 270.50.

Furthermore, Colombo Fort Investments and Colombo Investment Trust announced their first & final dividends of Rs 1.20 per share each.