Week commences on a negative note

ASPI closed in red due to price losses in counters such as Sri Lanka Telecom, Cargills and Commercial Credit & Finance with turnover crossing Rs 388 Mn. A similar behavior was witnessed in S&P SL20 as well. High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in Access Engineering, Ceylon Cold Stores and Tokyo Cement Company. Mixed interest was observed in The Lanka Hospital Corporation and Hemas Holdings whilst retail interest was noted in Textured Jersey Lanka and Overseas Realty. Meanwhile, foreigners remained active closing as net buyers mainly due to foreign purchasing in John Keells Holdings and Ceylon Cold Stores. Total foreign purchases accounted for 43.3% of turnover.

Construction and Engineering sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to Access Engineering) whilst the sector index lost 0.68%. The share price of Access Engineering decreased by Rs 0.10 (0.44%) to close at Rs 22.50.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Hatton National Bank nonvoting) whilst the sector index decreased by 0.37%. The share price of Hatton National Bank nonvoting declined by Rs 0.20 (0.11%) to close at Rs 176.80.

John Keells Holdings, Ceylon Cold Stores and The Lanka Hospital Corporation were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of John Keells Holdings lost Rs 0.20 (0.11%) closing at Rs 179.80 whilst foreign holdings increased by 159,046 shares. The share price of Ceylon Cold Stores closed flat at Rs 415.00 whilst foreign holdings increased by 80,250 shares. The share price of The Lanka Hospital Corporation recorded a gain of Rs 1.10 (1.81%) to close at Rs 62.00.

Furthermore, Central Finance Company announced an interim dividend of Rs 1.00 per share.