CSE ends lower amid cautious investor sentiment

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 00:18 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Colombo stock market ended lower yesterday, extending its bearish run into a second session.

The ASPI was down 0.31% or 65.12 points to 21,279.65 and the active S&P SL20 was down 0.24% or 14.59 points to 5,994.81.

With 121 counters ending in red against 69 in green, market turnover was nearly Rs. 797 million on over 27.2 million shares traded amid subdued activity ahead of the two-day mid-week break.

Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of over Rs. 4.1 million.

First Capital Research said the bourse commenced the session on a mildly positive note, yet couldn’t sustain the momentum as both the indexes closed in red. Despite the fall in global oil prices, investors remained cautious and selling pressure continued to weigh on the market.

CARG, DIAL, COMB, BREW and CDB emerged as the top negative contributors to the index. The capital goods sector led the daily turnover with a share of 19%, followed by the materials and banking sectors collectively contributing 28%.