Foreign buying sustains

The price losses in counters such as Ceylon Tobacco Company, Shalimar and Commercial Leasing & Finance resulted in indices to close in red whilst the turnover crossed Rs 665 Mn. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in John Keells Holdings as parcel trades. Mixed interest was observed in Asiri Hospital Holdings, Lanka IOC and Nations Trust Bank whilst retail interest was noted in Regnis, Asia Asset Finance and Union Bank. Meanwhile, foreigners remained active closing as net buyers mainly due to foreign purchasing in John Keells Holdings. Total foreign purchases accounted for 57.3% of the turnover.

Diversified sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index lost 0.39%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs 0.10 (0.05%) closing at Rs 204.80 whilst foreign holdings increased by 639,128 shares.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Nations Trust Bank and Hatton National Bank) whilst the sector index decreased by 0.86%. The share price of Nations Trust Bank recorded a gain of Rs 1.40 (1.33%) to close at Rs 107.00. The share price of Hatton National Bank closed flat at Rs 237.00.

Asiri Hospital Holdings and Lanka IOC were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Asiri Hospital Holdings lost Rs 0.10 (0.48%) to close at Rs 20.90. The share price of Lanka IOC moved up by Rs 0.10 (0.24%) to close at Rs 42.00.

Furthermore, Janashakthi Insurance announced a final dividend of Rs 1.00 per share.