Crossings account for ~53% of turnover

The ASPI closed in green as a result of price gains in counters such as Bukit Darah, Carson Cumberbatch and Browns Investments with the turnover crossing Rs 3.8 Bn. Meanwhile, the S&P SL20 edged up. Crossings were witnessed in John Keells Holdings, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank and DFCC Bank, accounting for 52.8% of the turnover. Mixed interest was observed in Tokyo Cement Company non voting and voting, whilst retail interest was noted in Expolanka Holdings, Hayleys Fabric and Commercial Bank.

Furthermore, foreigners closed as net sellers mainly due to foreign selling in John Keells Holdings. Capital Goods sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings), whilst the sector index gained 0.13%. The share price of John Keells Holdings edged up by Rs 0.10 (0.08%) closing at Rs 130.00, whilst foreign holdings decreased by 8,185,778 shares.

The Banking sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Seylan Bank and Sampath Bank), whilst the sector index increased by 0.42%. The share price of Seylan Bank gained Rs 2.40 (5.77%) to close at Rs 44.00. The share price of Sampath Bank declined by Rs 1.20 (0.99%) to close at Rs 119.60.

Expolanka Holdings and Hayleys Fabric were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Expolanka Holdings moved up by Rs 0.10 (0.83%) to close at Rs 12.10. The share price of Hayleys Fabric recorded a loss of Rs 0.20 (0.87%) to close at Rs 22.70.

Furthermore, Royal Ceramics and Swisstek announced t heir i nterim dividends of Rs 3.00 and Rs 2.65 per share respectively, whilst Lanka Ventures and LVL Energy Fund Limited announced their final dividends of Rs 1.50 and Rs 0.17 per share respectively.