The Colombo stock market yesterday continued to rally, extending strong gains into a fifth session with the exchange gaining nearly Rs. 510 billion in value.
The ASPI ended up 1.37% or 291.72 points at 21,531.37 and the active S and P SL20 gained 1.62% or 97.77 points to 6,143.15. With 178 counters ending in green compared to 63 in red, the top contributors to the ASPI gain were COMB, HNB, DIAL, ASIR and DIST.
Turnover was over Rs. 3.33 billion on over 144.4 million shares traded. Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 63.1 million.
First Capital Research said the bourse continued to trade in positive territory supported by improving investor confidence amid greater certainty surrounding global developments. Retail participation exceeded HNW activity, with retail investors accounting for a larger share of market
turnover. The banking sector led the daily turnover with a share of 20%, followed by the capital goods, and materials sectors collectively contributing 36%.