Sri Lanka shares end higher

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Friday, aided by growth across segments, including materials and industrials.

The CSE All-Share index settled 2.16% higher at 16,936.69.

The index closed 1.2% higher for the week.

Sri Lanka’s headline inflation is expected to peak around 2 percentage points above the central bank’s target in the second quarter of 2026, the bank said in a monetary policy report.

“While headline inflation may edge above the target between late 2025 and mid-2026, projections indicate that this deviation will be short-lived,” the bank said in its report.

UB Finance Company and R I L Property Plc were the top gainers on the index, up 14.3% and 13.3%, respectively.