Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Friday, 6 February 2026 02:54 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Colombo stock market closed on the up yesterday for the second straight session driven by high net worth investor activity.
The ASPI closed on the up by 0.15% or 34.49 points to 23,768.99 and the active S&P SL20 was up 0.08% or 5.47 points to 6,602.81.
Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 1 billion. Turnover was over Rs. 11.1 billion on 441.2 million shares traded, driven by high net worth (HNW) investors, First Capital Research said.
It noted that the bourse showed a mild, steady uptick over the day with modest gains, where prices rose early, then drifted sideways with small pullbacks.
Top positive contributors to the ASPI were JKH, SAMP, DIAL, ACME and KZOO.
HNW participation was strong, with over 60% of the day’s total turnover generated through crossings amounting to Rs. 6.7 billion.
Major transactions through crossings were recorded in JKH amounting to Rs. 4.2 billion and HNB totalling Rs. 1.5 billion, contributing 37.9% and 13.3% to the turnover, respectively.
Retail participation was average with special interest on penny stocks.
The capital goods sector led the daily turnover with a share of 50%, followed by the banking, and diversified financials sectors collectively contributing 30%.
NDB Securities said The ASPI closed in positive territory, supported by price gains in counters such as John Keells Holdings, Sampath Bank and Dialog Axiata. Crossings were witnessed in John Keells Holdings, Hatton National Bank and Hemas Holdings, accounting for 60.0% of total turnover.
Mixed interest was observed in Commercial Bank, Colombo Dockyard and Teejay Lanka, while retail interest was noted in Luminex, UB Finance Company and Ceylon Land and Equity.
The capital goods sector was the top contributor to market turnover, driven by John Keells Holdings and Hemas Holdings, while the sector index gained 0.37%. The share price of John Keells Holdings increased by 30 cents to close at Rs. 22.70, while Hemas Holdings gained 10 cents to Rs. 34.60.
The banking sector was the second-highest contributor to market turnover, led by Hatton National Bank and Commercial Bank, while the sector index edged up by 0.08%. The share price of Hatton National Bank declined by Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 422.25 and Commercial Bank closed flat at Rs. 224.50.
Ceylon Land and Equity was also among the top turnover contributors, with its share price rising by Rs. 4 to close at Rs. 20.60.
