Sri Lankan shares rise for sixth straight session

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan shares closed higher for the sixth straight session on Tuesday, as gains in healthcare and financials offset a decline in utilities and real estates stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.26 percent higher at 21,282.84.

SMB Finance PLC and Agstar PLC were the top percentage gainers on the index, up 33.3 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Sierra Cables PLC and Harischandra Mills PLC were the top losers, down 8.2 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Trading volume on the index fell to 224.8 million shares from 276.3 million shares in the previous session. The equity market’s turnover fell to 6.56 billion Sri Lankan rupees (USD21.7 million) from 8.08 billion rupees, according to exchange data.