Foreign purchases account for 61% of turnover

Indices closed in red as a result of price losses in counters such as Ceylon Tobacco Company, Hatton National Bank and Sampath Bank with the turnover crossing Rs 574 Mn.

High net worth and institutional investor participation was witnessed in John Keells Holdings and Commercial Bank. Retail interest was noted in East West Properties.

Furthermore, foreigners remained active closing as net buyers mainly due to foreign purchasing in Commercial Bank. Total foreign purchases accounted for 61.1% of the turnover.

Diversified sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index lost 1.46%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs 1.00 (0.74%) to close at Rs 135.00.

Banks, Finance and Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank and Pan Asia Banking Corporation) whilst the sector index decreased by 1.97%. The share price of Commercial Bank edged down by Rs 0.10 (0.11%) closing at Rs 89.90 whilst foreign holdings increased by 1,429,466 shares.

The share price of Sampath Bank moved down by Rs 6.60 (4.50%) to close at Rs 140.00. The share price of Pan Asia Banking Corporation recorded a loss of Rs 0.10 (0.82%) to close at Rs 12.10. East West Properties was also included amongst the top turnover contributors.

The share price of East West Properties declined by Rs 0.60 (3.31%) to close at Rs 17.50. Furthermore, Piramal Glass announced its first and final dividend of Rs 0.18 per share.