Utilities stocks lift Sri Lankan shares higher

Business Recorder reported that Sri Lankan equities finished Friday higher, with utilities shares providing the main push. The CSE All-Share index climbed 0.41% to end the session at 20,316.91 points.

Dialog Axiata and Hatton National Bank were the heaviest contributors to the gain, rising 0.91% and 0.93% respectively. Index volume eased to 70.1 million shares, down from 72.9 million traded earlier, while turnover slid to 1.05 billion rupees ($3.18 million) from 2.74 billion rupees.

Exchange data showed foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of 166.8 million rupees, while local investors were net buyers of shares worth 1.04 billion rupees. Overall, domestic buying outweighed overseas selling during the session.