Broad gains lead Sri Lanka shares 1% higher

Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Thursday, as gains across sectors helped outweigh a 7% drop in utilities stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 1% higher at 23,527.13.

Sri Lanka’s economy is likely to grow by around 4% to 5% in 2026, the country’s central bank chief said on Thursday, a forecast in line with the government’s projection.

WealthTrust Securities was the top percentage gainer on the index, surging 170%. Unusual opening prices of the stock on Wednesday led the bourse to purge orders and halt trading.

Trading volume on the index rose to 223.7 million shares from 154.7 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover soared to 12.33 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($39.9 million) from 6.59 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 2.98 billion rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 11.02 billion rupees, the data showed.