Indices close in red

ASPI closed in red as a result of price losses in counters such as Browns Capital, Nestle Lanka and Hemas Holdings. A similar behavior was witnessed in S&P SL20. The turnover crossed Rs 476 Mn for the day. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in John Keells Holdings, Commercial Bank and ACL Cables. Mixed interest was observed in Access Engineering and Commercial Credit and Finance whilst retail interest was noted in Hemas Holdings. Meanwhile, foreigners remained active closing as net buyers mainly due to foreign purchasing in Commercial Bank. Total foreign purchases accounted for 44.2% of turnover.

Diversified sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index lost 0.33%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs 0.20 (0.13%) to close at Rs 158.30.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Commercial Bank and Sampath Bank) whilst the sector index decreased by 0.12%. The share price of Commercial Bank edged up by Rs 0.10 (0.07%) closing at Rs 137.10 whilst foreign holdings increased by 223,725 shares. The share price of Sampath Bank recorded a gain of Rs 0.10 (0.03%) to close at Rs 295.10.

ACL Cables and Access Engineering were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of ACL Cables moved up by Rs 0.20 (0.40%) to close at Rs 50.00. The share price of Access Engineering declined by Rs 0.10 (0.39%) to close at Rs 25.80.

Furthermore, Harischandra Mills and Associated Motor Finance Company announced their final dividends of Rs 22.00 and Rs 12.50 per share respectively. The Autodrome announced its first & final dividend of Rs 0.50 per share