Shares end steady; turnover at near 3-month low

Reuters: Shares closed steady on Tuesday, while the turnover slumped to a near three-month low as many investors remained on the sidelines due to a lack of bullish news amid concerns over political uncertainty, stockbrokers said.

Turnover stood at Rs. 142.7 million ($ 896,357), its lowest since 16 April, and less than a sixth of this year’s daily average of Rs. 909 million.

The Colombo stock index ended flat at 6,077.37, hardly changed from Monday’s close.

“All this is due to the political uncertainty and no catalysts to move the market,” said Dimantha Mathew, head of research, First Capital Holdings.

“However, the good news is that lower turnover levels mean the sellers are not desperate to sell and the market is likely to recover soon.”

The index hit its lowest close since 30 March 2017, on Wednesday and has declined for a 19th session in 22 through Monday. It dropped 1.4% for the week, sliding for a seventh straight week.

Lower economic growth outlook has also hit sentiment after the Central Bank cut its estimate, analysts said.

Economic growth in 2018 is likely to be between 4% and 4.5%, falling short of an earlier estimate of 5%, Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy told reporters on Friday, adding that the earlier estimate was “ambitious”.

Foreign investor are selling and concerns about lower economic growth weighed on sentiment, analysts said.

They net bought equities worth Rs. 1.7 million on Tuesday, but the Bourse has seen a year-to-date foreign outflow of Rs. 2.25 billion.

Gains led by Ceylon Tobacco Co, which closed 0.6% firmer, were offset by losses in Softlogic Holdings, which ended 3.4% lower.

Investors are waiting for some positive news both on the economic and political fronts, said analysts, adding that the government’s policy implementation had been sluggish since both main parties in the ruling coalition lost local polls in February.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on 20 June that Sri Lanka’s economy remained vulnerable to adverse shocks because of sizable public debt and large refinancing needs.