Sri Lankan shares end flat as losses in consumer staples offset financials' gains

Sri Lankan shares ended nearly unchanged on Wednesday, as losses in consumer staple stocks overshadowed gains in financials.

The CSE All-Share Index ended 0.02% lower at 7,742.14.

Conglomerate Carson Cumberbatch Plc was one of the major drags, falling 14.2%, while lender LOLC Development Finance rose for a seventh straight session, surging 25%.

LOLC Development surged 121% last week and has advanced 75% so far this week.

Sri Lanka reported 243,913 total confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, and 2,704 deaths, according to the health ministry data.

The island nation has fully vaccinated only 3.86% of its population so far, Johns Hopkins data showed on Wednesday.

Pfizer's 78,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Sri Lanka in the first three weeks of July, State Minister Channa Jayasumana said.

Trading volume Pfizer's to 62.2 million from 67.7 million in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 79.7 million rupees, exchange data showed.

Equity market's turnover was 1.55 billion rupees, according to exchange data.