Sri Lanka's stock market fell to a 15-week low on Friday on retail selling with turnover and volumes slumping due to low investor participation amid a liquidity crunch, while foreign investors again bought heavyweight John Keells Holdings. The island nation's main share index closed 0.55 percent or 36.08 points down at 6,549.91, lowest since June 27.
It is Asia's fifth-best performer with a year-to-date loss of 1.3 percent after being on the top for most of 2011. Foreign investors bought over 418,000 shares in conglomerate and institutional favourite Keells, bringing total foreign buying over the last four sessions to nearly 4 million shares, bourse data showed. Keells lost 0.4 percent on Friday.
Offshore investors also offloaded 600,000 shares in Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, which closed steady. The bourse witnessed a net foreign outflow of 37.5 million rupees on Friday, after a total inflow of 650.1 million in the previous four sessions. Thus far in 2011, offshore investors have sold 16.7 billion, and sold a record 26.4 billion in 2010.
Losers outperformed gainers by 133 to 65 on Friday, Thomson Reuters data showed. Turnover was at 992.6 million rupees ($9 million), its lowest since July 5 and less than last year's average of 2.4 billion and this year's 2.6 billion. Friday's total volume was 50.7 million, lowest since September 23, against a five-day average of 67.2 million. The 30-day and 90-day average trading volumes were 146.1 million and 135.3 million. Last year's daily average was 67.9 million.
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