Indices close in green

The ASPI closed in green as a result of price gains in counters such as John Keells Holdings, Ceylon Tobacco Company and Sri Lanka Telecom with the turnover crossing Rs 1.2 Bn. A similar behaviour was witnessed in the S&P SL20. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in Chevron Lubricants, John Keells Holdings, National Development Bank and Melstacorp. Mixed interest was observed in Access Engineering. Furthermore, foreigners remained active closing as net sellers mainly due to foreign selling in John Keells Holdings. Total foreign sales accounted for 68.5% of the turnover.

During the week, the ASPI and the S&P SL20 lost 1.86% and 3.56% respectively whilst recording an average daily turnover of ~Rs 1.95 Bn.

Diversified sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index gained 0.89%. The share price of John Keells Holdings increased by Rs 2.50 (1.75%) closing at Rs 145.00 whilst foreign holdings decreased by 3,958,050 shares.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to National Development Bank and Sampath Bank) whilst the sector index increased by 1.14%. The share price of National Development Bank closed flat at Rs 100.00. The share price of Sampath Bank appreciated by Rs 5.00 (2.22%) to close at Rs 230.00.

Chevron Lubricants and Access Engineering were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Chevron Lubricants moved up by Rs 0.20 (0.29%) to close at Rs 70.10. The share price of Access Engineering recorded a gain of Rs 0.80 (4.94%) to close at Rs 17.00.

Furthermore, Ceylon Tobacco Company announced an interim dividend of Rs 19.00 per share.