Thursday May 28, 2026
Thursday May 28, 2026
Wednesday, 27 May 2026 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Colombo stock market closed yesterday in red amid heavy foreign selling with investor sentiment contained by the Monetary Policy rate hike renewed hostilities in the Middle East.
The decline was broad-based with 176 counters closing in red against 53 that ended on the up.
The ASPI was down 0.85% or 189.63 points at 22,175.14 and the S&P SL20 was down 0.98% or 60.84 points at 6,118.26.
Market turnover was Rs. 4.93 billion on over 94.3 million shares traded. Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of over Rs. 3 billion.
First Capital Research said that following the latest decision by the CBSL to increase the overnight policy rate by 100bps at the monetary policy review, coupled with heightened tensions in the Middle East following the US strike on Iranian missile facilities, market sentiment remained negative as both indices closed in negative territory during today’s session.
SAMP, HAYL, JKH, HNB and NDB were among the top negative contributors to the ASPI. Notable HNW participation was observed, with crossings accounting for 66.4% of total turnover, of which 3 billion amounted from a crossing in AAIC, although retail investor participation remained relatively subdued.
The insurance sector led the daily turnover with a share of 65%, followed by the banking, and diversified financials sectors collectively contributing 15%. AAIC dominated the overall turnover with Rs. 3.1 billion.
