Investor interest in diversified financials and construction shares propelled Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to a 0.66 percent increase on Monday, according to data from its website. The All Share Price Index (ASPI) rose by 150.67 points to close at 23,014.75. Concurrently, the S&P SL20 index gained 0.67 percent, or 41.35 points, to finish at 6,227.44.
There was sustained retail investor interest in bank stocks during the session. The leading contributors to the ASPI included Commercial Bank, which increased by 4.25 rupees to 207.25 rupees; Carson Cumberbatch, rising by 50.50 rupees to 797.75 rupees; ACL Cables, up by 4.65 rupees to 103.75 rupees; LOLC, climbing 10.75 rupees to 568.00 rupees; and Sampath Bank, which advanced by 1 rupee to 148.50 rupees.
Significant crossings were reported in ACL Cables, Dipped Products, HNB (non-voting share), and Aitken Spence. Industrial Asphalt (Ceylon) emerged as the top gainer of the session, with a turnover of 221,343 rupees.
Market turnover increased to 5.7 billion rupees from the previous session’s 5.1 billion rupees, with a share volume of 130,605,920 and 41,683 trades recorded during the day. However, the exchange experienced a net foreign outflow of 87 million rupees, largely driven by Digital Mobility Solutions (Lanka) with 21 million rupees.
On a positive note, Sri Lanka’s export of coconut and coconut-based products surpassed USD 1 billion in the first 10 months of 2025. Haycarb, a producer and exporter of activated carbons, saw its shares rise by 4 rupees to 114.50 rupees. Mahaweli Coconut Plantations also performed well, with its shares increasing by 4.20 rupees to 56.10 rupees.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Sri Lanka has approved changes to the CSE listing rules to offer more flexibility regarding the minimum public holding (MPH) requirement for companies listing through the introduction method, as stated by the regulator.
In regional markets, equity indices closed lower as investors booked profits. According to Reuters, Indian equity benchmarks remained largely unchanged on Monday, as declines in IT stocks and concerns about additional U.S. tariffs offset positive business updates that reinforced expectations of improved quarterly earnings. India’s Nifty 50 fell by 0.33 percent to 26,240.55, while the Sensex index dropped 0.41 percent to 85,414.49.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index surged 3 percent to reach a three-month high on its first trading day of 2026, according to Japan’s Mainichi newspaper, closing 2.97 percent higher at 51,832.80. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Karachi Stock Exchange 100 index increased by 2.32 percent to 183,187.50 at its opening.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index edged up 0.03 percent to 26,347. Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) rose by 0.52 percent, or 24.380 points, closing at 4,680.500.
As of 3:30 PM Sri Lankan time, spot gold was trading at 34.77 US dollars, marking a 2.1 percent increase. (Colombo/Jan05/2026)
