Sri Lankan shares fall for third straight session

Business Recorder reported that equities in Sri Lanka finished Wednesday's session lower, as losses spread widely and materials shares led the decline. The benchmark CSE All Share index ended 0.61% lower at 21,133.41, extending its slide to a third session in a row.

Industrial Asphalts and SMB Finance PLC were the steepest decliners, dropping 14.3% and 9% respectively. Shares changing hands numbered 69.4 million, up from 55.8 million earlier. Turnover, however, came in at 1.63 billion Sri Lankan rupees or about $4.91 million, compared with 2.23 billion before.

Overseas investors were net sellers, selling shares worth 56.4 million rupees. Local investors, by contrast, bought stock worth 1.58 billion rupees, according to exchange data. Both groups traded in opposite directions during the session.