Sri Lankan shares end lower as consumer stocks drag; post third monthly jump

Sri Lankan shares ended lower for a second straight session on Wednesday, weighed down by losses in consumer stocks, but posted a third straight monthly jump.

The CSE All-Share Index ended down 0.24% at 7,837.76.

But the index recorded its third straight monthly gain, surging 5.9% in June.

Conglomerate LOLC Holdings and telecom firm Dialog Axiata were top drags, down 2.4% and 3.2%, respectively.

Sri Lanka reported 257,225 total confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, and 3,030 deaths, according to the health ministry data.

The island nation has fully vaccinated only 4.31% of its total population so far, Johns Hopkins data.

Trading volume on the exchange rose to 87.1 million from 60.6 million in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 109.7 million rupees, exchange data showed.

Equity market's turnover was 1.7 billion rupees, according to exchange data.