Sri Lankan shares close lower after five straight days of gains

Sri Lankan shares snapped a five-session winning streak on Wednesday, as the island nation extended travel restrictions to curb rising cases of the novel coronavirus.

The CSE All-Share Index closed 0.19% lower at 7,436.55.

Conglomerate LOLC Holdings and investment company Browns Investments Plc were the top drags on the index, falling 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively.

Travel restrictions have been extended until June 14, said Shavendra Silva, Sri Lanka's army commander and the head of the president's COVID prevention task force.

Sri Lanka reported 2,877 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the total to 189,241, while deaths rose by 43 to 1,527, according to health ministry data.

In other news, a cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals sank off Sri Lanka's west coast, fouling the country's rich fishing waters in one of its worst-ever marine disasters.

Trading volume fell to 75.7 million from 110.9 million in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 56.3 million rupees ($285,786.80), according to exchange data.

The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 197 against the US dollar, as of 1213 GMT, 0.25% weaker than Tuesday's close of 196.5, according to Refinitiv data.

Equity market turnover was 2.14 billion rupees, exchange data showed.