CSE down 4.26% during week, ends Friday on the up

Saturday, 23 May 2026 05:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ASPI movement during week (Source: CSE)

The Colombo stock market yesterday closed in the green for the third consecutive session, ending a week characterised by subdued investor sentiment and concerns over the exchange rate.

During the week, the ASPI had declined 4.26% or 976.11 points while the active S&P SL20 fell 3.55% or 223.22 points.

Yesterday, the ASPI made a strong recovery, closing up 0.44% or 95.87 points at 21,929.64 while the S&P SL20 ended up 0.37% or 22.31 points at 6,061.02.

Market turnover was nearly Rs. 2.2 billion on over 78.3 million shares traded. Foreign investors turned net sellers on a net outflow of Rs. 11.6 million.

First Capital Research said the bourse concluded the session on a positive note, recording a marginal increase as investors adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach amid the volatile macroeconomic environment and the anticipations surrounding the upcoming CBSL policy meeting decisions.

The top positive contributors to the ASPI were JKH, DOCK, MELS, RICH and SAMP. Market participation remained subdued, with low activity levels observed among both HNW and retail investors.

The capital goods sector led the daily turnover with a share of 25%, followed by the food beverage & tobacco, and banking sectors collectively contributing 24%.