Sri Lanka shares end higher as financials, consumer staples rise

Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by financials and consumer staples stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.37% higher at 10,881.72.

Sri Lanka is committed to repaying its debt within the 2027-2042 schedule, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday, adding that successful debt restructuring negotiations will bring annual external debt payments down to 4% of GDP.

Ceylon Tobacco Plc and LOLC Finance Plc were the top gainers on the index, up 3.6% and 4.4%, respectively.

Sri Lanka shares end higher as financials surge

Trading volume on the index rose to 263.5 million shares from 73.7 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover rose to 2.29 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($7.44 million) from 1.50 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 1.11 billion rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 2.25 billion rupees, the data showed.