FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – The Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka experienced a decline on Monday following a brief positive momentum, according to data from the CSE. The benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) fell by 0.39 percent.
Specifically, the ASPI decreased by 81.79 points, ending the day at 20,955.56. Similarly, the more active S&P SL20 index also saw a drop of 0.29 percent, which corresponds to a loss of 17.28 points, closing at 5,923.44.
Market analysts indicated that broader international factors were impacting investor sentiment negatively. Raynal Wickremeratne, the Head of Research and Strategy at NDB Securities, noted, “Today’s downturn can be attributed to ongoing global disruptions that continue to dampen market confidence.”
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He also highlighted that the day’s trading volume was below 600 million rupees, indicating a subdued market activity, although notable transactions occurred in companies like John Keells and CDB. The total market turnover registered at 595.97 million rupees, with the diversified financial sector leading the way at 128.71 million rupees, closely followed by the capital goods sector at 128.44 million rupees.
Among the companies that contributed positively to the ASPI were Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, which saw an increase of 0.76 percent to 52.90 rupees, and Ceylon Tobacco Company, which rose by 0.94 percent to 1,790.75 rupees. Laugfs Gas also reported a gain of 1.86 percent, closing at 43.80 rupees, while Hayleys increased by 0.44 percent to end at 226.00 rupees.
Conversely, the most significant declines were observed in Carson Cumberbatch, which fell by 2.75 percent to 716.50 rupees; Sri Lanka Telecom, which dropped 2.16 percent to 85.90 rupees; Dialog Axiata, down 0.65 percent at 46.10 rupees; and SMB Finance, which plummeted 9.09 percent to just 1.00 rupee.
In corporate news, ACL Cables PLC declared an interim dividend of 60 cents per share for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, amounting to a total of 431.23 million rupees. The ex-dividend date is set for October 7, 2026, with the payment expected to be issued on October 26, 2026.
