Sri Lankan shares extend record run as financials surge

05 Jan, 2022

Sri Lankan shares recorded their fourth straight session of all-time highs on Wednesday, lifted by a rally in financial and industrial stocks.

The CSE All-Share index climbed 2.2% to 13,076.91, also registering its sixth consecutive session of gains. The index has gained 7% already in 2022 after an 80% surge last year.

Sri Lankan stocks are steaming ahead even as broader equities weakened with higher US Treasury yields hurting technology stocks.

Aiding sentiment in Colombo was an announcement by the central bank chief that Sri Lanka has allocated $500 million to repay an international sovereign bond maturing on Jan. 18. The country has to repay about $4.5 billion in 2022.

Sri Lankan shares hit record high as financials climb

Conglomerate LOLC Holdings was the biggest boost to the index, rising 11%, while logistics firm Expolanka Holdings climbed 3.6%.

The equity market's turnover was 15.56 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($77.41 million) on Wednesday, according to stock exchange data.

Trading volume rose to 951.7 million shares from 806.4 million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net buyers in the equity market, acquiring shares worth 295 million rupees, exchange data showed.

Sri Lanka has reported 588,929 coronavirus cases and 15,055 deaths, as of Tuesday, data from the country's health bureau showed.

About 63.52% of Sri Lanka's population has been fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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