Market gains modestly as ASPI rises 32 points

The Colombo Bourse remained largely stagnant throughout the day, with occasional spikes in volatility but overall trading within a narrow range, signaling consolidation.

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) moved up by 32 points to close at 21,959, while the S&P SL20 ended slightly higher, rising 4 points to close at 6,015, according to First Capital Research.

Top contributors to the ASPI gains were SFCL, SPEN, SAMP, BUKI, and CARG. Today’s market activity was primarily driven by crossings, which accounted for 43.3% of total turnover, with John Keells Holdings (JKH) drawing significant interest from high-net-worth investors through crossings, representing 33.9% of overall turnover.

Retail investor participation remained moderate, focusing mainly on DOCK.R and DOCK.N. Daily turnover stood at LKR 4.1 billion, about 15% above the monthly average of LKR 3.6 billion. The Capital Goods sector led activity, contributing 53% of total turnover, while the Diversified Financials and Banking sectors added a combined 14%.

JKH dominated the session, recording LKR 1.7 billion (40.9%) of turnover, followed by DOCK.R with LKR 316.4 million (7.7%). In terms of volume, JKH saw 79.5 million shares traded (54.0%), whereas DOCK.R accounted for 5.6 million shares (3.8%). Overall market volume rose by 43.9% to 147.2 million shares.

Foreign investors remained net sellers, posting a net outflow of LKR 331.4 million. The highest foreign outflows were recorded in JKH, DFCC, and LMF, while the largest foreign inflows were seen in ATL, BIL, and LGL.