The Colombo Bourse recorded a subdued trading session today, reflecting weakened investor confidence. Although the market experienced a brief upward movement at the commencement of trading, the momentum reversed, resulting in largely stagnant market activity for the remainder of the session. The ASPI edged up by 9 points to close at 22,386, while the S&P SL20 declined by 11 points to settle at 6,211.

“CTHR, LION, HAYL, SPEN, and SDB were the leading positive contributors to the ASPI,” First Capital Research said.

 Participation from both HNW and retail investors remained relatively muted, amid a mixed market sentiment. Daily turnover stood at LKR 2.6Bn, marking a decrease of 12.4% over the monthly average of LKR 2.9Bn. Banking sector led the daily turnover with a share of 29%, followed by the Capital Goods, and Real Estate Management & Development sectors collectively contributing 26%.

Foreign investors turned net sellers, posting a net outflow of LKR 12.2Mn.

SDB dominated the overall turnover with LKR 499.2Mn (19.5%) followed by LIOC with LKR 167.3Mn (6.5%) worth of shares being traded during the session. In terms of volume, SEMB saw 34.7Mn shares being traded (32.4%), whereas HELA accounted for 10.9Mn shares (10.2%). Overall market volume decreased by 29.8% to 107.0Mn.

Foreign investors turned net sellers, posting a net outflow of LKR 12.2Mn. DIAL, MELS and DIPD recorded the highest foreign outflows while the largest foreign inflows were attracted by PKME, CTHR and HNB.