CSE falls to 13-month low

Thursday, 15 October 2026 05:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Colombo stock market continued to slide, falling sharply yesterday below 20,000 points for the first time since August 2025. The slide continues to be driven by negative sentiment amid geopolitical concerns and oil prices, margin calls and profit taking.

With losers out-numbering gainers 203 to 21, the ASPI ended down 1.40% or 281.42 points to 19,796.06 and the S&P SL20 fell 0.94% or 53.67 points to 5,676.43.

The biggest contributors to the ASPI decline were DIAL, CARS, DIST, COMB and TKYO.

Market turnover was over Rs. 1.9 billion on over 104 million shares traded. Foreigners were net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 4.8 million.

First Capital Research said rising global oil prices resulting from the escalations in the Middle East, coupled with the margin calls that led to selling pressure, weighed on the negativity. Both retail and HNW investors remained active, with certain off-board transactions observed predominantly in DIAL, DIMO and JKH.

The capital goods sector led the daily turnover with a share of 21%, followed by the telecommunication services and banking sectors collectively contributing 27%.