Sri Lanka shares end lower as utilities, energy slip

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Friday, dragged by utilities and energy stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.23% lower at 10,775.87.

The index logged its third straight weekly fall, declining 0.8%.

Ceylon Hospitals Plc and Malwatte Valley Plantations Plc were the top losers on the index, down 6.8% and 11%, respectively.

Trading volume on the index fell to 22.7 million shares from 62.3 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover fell to 449.5 million Sri Lankan rupees ($1.5 million) from 1.49 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 59.9 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 432.7 million rupees, the data showed.