CSE begins weak down 0.62% on muted activity

Tuesday, 20 October 2026 05:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Colombo stock market opened the week in red, falling sharply after a brief early trading rally amid muted investor sentiment.

The ASPI ended down 0.62% or 125.63 points at 20,059.42 and the S&P SL20 fell 0.66% or 38.08 points to 5,700.75. With 141 counters ending in red against 59 in green, the biggest negative contributors to the ASPI decline were DIAL, HNB, HHL, OSEA and JKH.

Activity was muted with turnover reaching over Rs. 680 million on nearly 33.6 million shares traded and foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 39.3 million.

First Capital Research said the bourse ended on a negative note amidst the cautious investor sentiment towards the persisting geopolitical uncertainties. Participation from retail investors was at a subdued level, while there were off-board transactions on JKH and SAMP. Banks led the daily turnover with a share of 28%, followed by the capital goods and materials sectors collectively contributing 37%.