Foreign sales account for 74% of turnover

The ASPI edged up as a result of price gains in counters such as Lion Brewery, Commercial Bank and Nestle Lanka with the turnover crossing Rs 2.6 Bn. Meanwhile, the S&P SL20 edged down. High net worth and institutional investor participation was noted in John Keells Holdings and Hatton National Bank. Mixed interest was observed in Access Engineering, Tokyo Cement Company nonvoting and Sampath Bank whilst retail interest was noted in Hayleys Fabric. Furthermore, foreigners remained active closing as net sellers mainly due to foreign selling in John Keells Holdings. Total foreign sales accounted for 73.8% of the turnover.

Diversified sector was the top contributor

to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index edged down by 0.04%. The share price of John Keells Holdings increased by Rs 0.30 (0.20%) closing at Rs 150.30 whilst foreign holdings decreased by 10,356,047 shares.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Hatton National Bank and Sampath Bank) whilst the sector index edged up by 0.10%. The share price of Hatton National Bank moved down by Rs 0.60 (0.34%) to close at Rs 175.20. The share price of Sampath Bank declined by Rs 0.50 (0.30%) to close at Rs 165.00.

Access Engineering and Tokyo Cement Company nonvoting were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Access Engineering lost Rs 0.10 (0.48%) to close at Rs 20.90. The share price of Tokyo Cement Company nonvoting recorded a loss of Rs 0.20 (0.70%) to close at Rs 28.50.

Furthermore, Industrial Asphalts announced its first and final dividend of Rs 4.50 per share.