FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – On Friday, the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka concluded the trading day with minimal changes, as indicated by the latest CSE statistics. The benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) experienced a slight increase of 0.03 percent, rising by 6.22 points to reach 22,905. Meanwhile, the more actively traded S&P SL20 index saw a gain of 0.27 percent, equivalent to 16.98 points, closing at 6,284.
Despite this slight uptick on Friday, the ASPI recorded a decline of 115 points over the course of the week compared to the previous Friday, reflecting a week of varied trading outcomes.
Among the stocks positively impacting the ASPI were Dialog Axiata, which rose by 6.53 percent to 37.50 rupees, Hayleys with an increase of 0.83 percent to 242 rupees, Commercial Bank climbing 0.48 percent to 209.50 rupees, and Hunter and Company, which surged by 17.46 percent to 1,588 rupees.
Conversely, several companies contributed negatively to the index, including Ceylinco Insurance, which fell by 2.91 percent to 3,107 rupees, Richard Pieris and Company with a decline of 2.57 percent to 34.10 rupees, Nations Trust Bank decreasing by 1.23 percent to 320.25 rupees, and Central Finance Company dropping 1.00 percent to 247.75 rupees.
The total market turnover for the day was recorded at 2.84 billion rupees, with the capital goods sector leading this turnover at 1.072 billion rupees.
In corporate news, Amana Bank announced a significant change in its auditing firm, with Ernst & Young stepping down after a five-year tenure. KPMG has been appointed as the new auditors for the bank.
