Friday Apr 10, 2026
Friday Apr 10, 2026
Thursday, 9 April 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Colombo stock market yesterday recorded its highest single day gain ever on optimism for peace in the Middle East.
The ASPI ended on the up by 4.21% or 885.14 points to 21,917.60 and the S&P SL20 was up 4.42% or 257.68 points at 6,090.50.
Almas Securities said the ASPI increase marks the highest single day gain in the history of the ASPI. Since the war began, it is the third major rally of a similar nature, with yesterday’s surge driven by ceasefire announcements from parties to the Mideast war.
The previous high was 797.72 points on 25 March 2026, which beat a 706.26-point gain on 24 March 2026 and 704.88 points on 10 April 2025. Before these, the highest single day gain was recorded in 10 March 2022 when the ASPI increased by 692.35 points.
Market turnover yesterday was over Rs. 6.6 billion on nearly 248 million shares traded and the only dampener being foreign investors remaining as net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 612.4 million, taking the total net outflow to Rs. 1.7 billion this week alone.
First Capital Research also attributed the session’s gains to the Mideast peace talks.
Following the announcement of US–Iran peace talks and a temporary ceasefire, easing global oil prices and the broad-based upturn in international capital markets created a favourable environment for equities. In line with this momentum, the Colombo Bourse concluded the session in positive territory.
JKH, COMB, HNB, DIAL, and DOCK emerged as the leading positive contributors to the ASPI. Market breadth remained strongly positive, with 246 gainers compared to 16 decliners. Participation from HNW and retail investors increased notably, reflecting improved investor confidence.
The banking sector led the daily turnover with a share of 24%, followed by the capital goods, and food beverage and tobacco sectors collectively contributing 33%.
