FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – On Wednesday, the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka experienced a decline during midday trading, as indicated by CSE data. The benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) decreased by 0.10 percent.
The ASPI fell by 22.20 points, settling at 22,155.45. In contrast, the more actively traded S&P SL20 Index saw a slight increase of 0.02 percent, or 1.25 points, reaching 6,131.
Key gainers contributing positively to the ASPI included Central Finance Company, which rose by 3.82 percent to 238.00 rupees, LOLC Holdings, increasing by 2.62 percent to 548.00 rupees, Hemas Holdings, up by 0.95 percent to 31.90 rupees, and Browns Investments, which gained 1.72 percent to 5.90 rupees.
Conversely, the top decliners included Access Engineering, which fell by 1.30 percent to 76.00 rupees, Ceylon Cold Stores, down 1.79 percent to 137.25 rupees, and Sampath Bank, decreasing by 0.18 percent to 141.75 rupees.
The market turnover was recorded at 981 million rupees, with the Consumer Durables and Apparel sector leading the way at 348.1 million rupees.
In the commodities market, oil prices continued their upward trend for a third consecutive day, with Brent crude futures nearing 97 dollars per barrel. This increase is attributed to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and tensions surrounding US-Iran peace negotiations, which have raised geopolitical risk premiums.
On the broader Asian market, most major indexes showed positive movement, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbing by 1.57 percent to 25,628.92, while India’s Nifty 50 Index experienced a decline of 1.09 percent, reaching 23,228.45.
