FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in Sri Lanka experienced a decline in trading on Wednesday, as indicated by the exchange’s data. The benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) decreased by 0.40 percent.
The ASPI fell by 85.54 points, settling at 21,461.63. Similarly, the S&P SL20, which includes more liquid stocks, dropped by 0.15 percent, equivalent to a loss of 9.12 points, ending at 5,991.56.
Among the stocks positively impacting the ASPI were Bukit Darah, which rose by 6.02 percent to 845.50 rupees, John Keells Holdings, up 0.51 percent at 19.80 rupees, Aitken Spence, gaining 1.48 percent to reach 137.00 rupees, and Associated Motor Finance Company, which increased by 3.33 percent to 46.50 rupees.
Conversely, the top decline contributors included CT Holdings, which dropped 7.81 percent to 525.50 rupees, Melstacorp, down 0.98 percent to 177.25 rupees, and Janashakthi Insurance, which saw a decrease of 7.79 percent to 36.70 rupees.
The total market turnover was recorded at 1.67 billion rupees, with the capital goods sector leading this figure at 469.3 million rupees.
In the broader Asian market context, stock indices exhibited mixed results. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong fell by 0.64 percent, or 157.94 points, to close at 24,407.96. Similarly, South Korea’s KOSPI experienced a significant drop of 4.52 percent, translating to a loss of 366.11 points, ending at 7,730.82. In contrast, India’s NIFTY 50 saw a slight increase of 0.079 percent, or 18.25 points, closing at 23,260.35.
