Foreign purchases boost turnover

The broader market index edged up whilst S&P SL20 closed in red with turnover crossing Rs 482 Mn. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in Commercial Bank, John Keells Holdings, Ceylinco Insurance and Central Finance Company. Mixed interest was observed in Teejay Lanka whilst retail interest was noted in Access Engineering. Meanwhile, foreigners remained active closing as net buyers. Total foreign purchases accounted for 63.8% of turnover.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to Commercial Bank, Ceylinco Insurance and Central Finance Company) whilst the sector index gained 0.21%. The share price of Commercial Bank increased by Rs 0.10 (0.07%) to close at Rs 143.00. The share price of Ceylinco Insurance recorded a gain of Rs 0.50 (0.04%) to close at Rs 1,300.00. The share price of Central Finance Company declined by Rs 2.00 (2.17%) to close at Rs 90.00.

Manufacturing sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover whilst the sector index increased by 0.61%.

John Keells Holdings and Ceylon Tobacco Company were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of John Keells Holdings lost Rs 1.50 (1.04%) to close at Rs 142.80. The share price of Ceylon Tobacco Company moved up by Rs 2.40 (0.30%) to close at Rs 815.10.

Furthermore, Nestle Lanka announced dividends worth of Rs 80.00 per share (an interim dividend of Rs 40.00 and final dividend of Rs 40.00) whilst National Development Bank announced its final dividend of Rs 2.00 per share.