Foreign purchases account for ~52% of the turnover

The ASPI closed in red as a result of price losses in counters such as Ceylon Tobacco Company, John Keells Holdings and Distilleries with the turnover crossing Rs 770 Mn. A similar behaviour was witnessed in the S&P SL20. High net worth and institutional investor participation was noted in John Keells Holdings, Colombo City Holdings, Sampath Bank and Aitken Spence Plantation Managements. Mixed interest was observed in Aitken Spence and Browns Investments whilst retail interest was noted in Sinhaputhra Finance. Furthermore, foreigners remained active

closing as net buyers mainly due to foreign purchasing in John Keells Holdings. Total foreign purchases accounted for 51.8% of the turnover.

Diversified sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings, Aitken Spence and Browns Investments) whilst the sector index lost 0.44%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs 1.60 (1.03%) closing at Rs 153.80 whilst foreign holdings increased by 1,170,156 shares. The share price of Aitken Spence recorded a gain of Rs 0.50 (1.15%) to close at Rs 44.00. The share price of Browns Investments declined by Rs 0.20 (4.65%) to close at Rs 4.10. Stores and Supplies sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Colombo City Holdings) whilst the sector index increased by 2.49%. The share price of Colombo City Holdings gained Rs 140.60 (15.46%) to close at Rs 1,050.00. Sampath Bank was also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Sampath Bank edged up by Rs 0.10 (0.07%) to close at Rs 153.00.

Furthermore, Haycarb, Hayleys Fibre and People’s Insurance Limited announced their interim dividends of Rs 3.00, Rs 2.00 and Rs 0.75 per share respectively.