CSE falls 2.48% during week

Saturday, 24 October 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Colombo stock market continued to slide for a fifth straight session to end the week in the red. During the week, the ASPI fell 2.48% and the active S&P SL20 fell 2.18% as intensifying tensions in the Middle East fed into negative investor sentiment.

Yesterday, the ASPI ended 0.17% or 33.01 points at 19,684.91 and the S&P SL20 fell a marginal 0.09% or 4.85 points to 5,613.63. Turnover was low at over Rs. 825 million on over 31.5 million shares traded. Foreign investors were net buyers on a net inflow of Rs. 37.6 million.

With 129 counters ending in red against 73 in green, the top contributors to the ASPI decline were DIAL, CARS, PAP, LAMB and HAYL.

First Capital Research said the bourse wrapped up a full week of intraday losses as the market witnessed an increase in selling pressure amidst the prevailing weakness in sentiment, attributed to the ongoing uncertainties and global pressures. The ASPI witnessed some early positivity, which gradually lost momentum as continued declines from around midday dragged the index lower.

Participation from both retail and HNW investors stood subdued. The banking sector accounted for the largest share of turnover at 22%, followed by the food, beverage and tobacco, and capital goods sectors, which jointly contributed 31%.