Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Wednesday, snapping a four-session winning run, dragged down by financials stocks, while data after market closed showed the country's economy contracted due to the pandemic.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.36% lower at 11,754.46, after hitting an all-time high of 11,871.72 earlier in the day.

Lanka ORIX Leasing Company Plc and Commercial Leasing and Finance Plc were the top drags to the index, falling 2.9% and 3.3%, respectively.

Industrials help Sri Lankan shares to end at record high

Sri Lanka's economy contracted by 1.5% in the third quarter from a year earlier, due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections that peaked in August hitting industries and services, the government data office said on Wednesday.

The equity market's turnover was 7.44 billion rupees ($42.03 million), according to stock exchange data.

Trading volume fell to 302.5 million shares from 533.7 million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 127.2 million rupees, as per exchange data.

The island-nation reported 762 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 576,194, and deaths rose by 20 to 14,661, data from the country's health bureau showed.

About 63.26% of the country's population has been fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.