CSE begins new week on the up

Tuesday, 28 January 2025 03:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Colombo stock market yesterday began a fresh week on the up despite closing Friday negatively.

The benchmark ASPI gained by 0.8% and the active S&P SL20 by 0.5%. Turnover was Rs. 6 billion involving 196.5 million shares.

Turnover was dominated by JKH (Rs. 878.3 million), Lanka IOC (Rs. 833.5 million), HNB (Rs. 259.3 million), Alumex (Rs. 204 million), and Browns Investments (Rs. 202.4 million).

First Capital said the bourse experienced a day of positive sentiment and low market activity, in contrast to the volatility observed earlier. Most of the investor attention was focused on Blue-chip stocks. The most significant contributors towards the positive index were MELS, LIOC, BUKI, HNB, and CARS. The lack of crossings demonstrates decreased participation from both retail and HNW investors.

The Capital Goods sector led the turnover by 24%, followed by the Banking and Energy sectors jointly contributing 32% of the overall turnover. There was a net foreign outflow of Rs. 492.4 million.

NDB Securities said high net worth and institutional investor participation was noted in John Keells Holdings, Seylan Bank nonvoting, and Melstacorp.

Mixed interest was observed in Lanka IOC, Hatton National Bank, and Alumex, whilst retail interest was noted in Hela Apparel Holdings, SMB Leasing, and Softlogic Capital.

The Capital Goods sector was the top contributor to market turnover (due to John Keells Holdings) whilst the sector index lost 0.63%. The share price of John Keells Holdings decreased by Rs. 0.40 to Rs. 23.10.

The Banking sector was the second highest contributor to market turnover (due to Hatton National Bank) whilst the sector index edged up by 0.05%. The share price of Hatton National Bank moved up by Rs. 4 to Rs. 350.25.

Lanka IOC, Alumex, and Browns Investments were also included amongst the top turnover contributors. The share price of Lanka IOC gained Rs. 19.25 to Rs. 142.25. The share price of Alumex recorded a gain of Rs. 1.10 to Rs. 15.90. The share price of Browns Investments declined by Rs. 0.10 to Rs. 8.50.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.