Sri Lankan shares slip as communication services, healthcare weigh

Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Monday, dragged by losses in communication services and healthcare stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled down 0.9% at 21,208.10

SMB Finance PLC and Serendib Land PLC were the top percentage losers on the CSE All-Share index, falling 10% and 9.1%, respectively.

Trading volume on the index rose to 66.5 million shares from 31.9 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover rose to 2.64 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($7.86 million) from 722.63 million rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net buyers, purchasing stocks worth 108.1 million rupees, while domestic investors were net sellers, offloading shares worth 2.55 billion rupees, the data showed.