Sri Lankan shares close flat as gains in communication offset healthcare losses

Sri Lankan equities ended Monday essentially unchanged, Business Recorder reported, as communication names rose enough to cancel out declines in healthcare and consumer discretionary shares. The CSE All-Share index eased 0.03% to settle at 21,616.88. Its steepest percentage decliners were SMB Finance and Asia Asset Finance, which dropped 9.09% and 8.15% respectively.

Activity was lighter, with volume falling to 45.5 million shares from 76 million in the session before. Turnover also contracted, reaching 1.89 billion Sri Lankan rupees, or $5.7 million, against 2.24 billion rupees previously. Exchange figures showed both measures pulled back from the prior trading day.

Overseas investors were net sellers, unloading 488.5 million rupees of stock, while local participants were net purchasers of 1.88 billion rupees, the data showed. Net flows were therefore split, with domestic buying far outweighing foreign selling in value terms.