Sri Lankan stocks fell on Thursday as political concerns over delayed peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels returned to the fore, and investors took profit after the index gained 10 percent earlier in the week.
The key Colombo all-share index ended down a provisional 2.26 percent, or 27.66 points, at 1,197.39 points.
Total market turnover fell to 99.7 million rupees ($1.1 million) from 240 million rupees on Wednesday, with foreign trades of under 10 million rupees.
Second-largest listed John Keells Holdings Ltd fell 2.11 percent, despite announcing nine-month profits that were in line with analysts' expectations.
Keells is expected to reap profits from its new hotel unit, Asian Hotels Corp, and profits are set for a record, but brokers said market sentiment weighed on the stock.
The share closed down 2.5 rupees at 116 rupees and is off a life-high of 150 rupees in October.
The market gained more than 10 percent earlier in the week spurred by hopes for an end to the island's political feud.
The bourse plunged 25 percent in November, after a power struggle between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, which has delayed donor aid and foreign investment.
Comments
Comments are closed.