Sri Lankan shares closed higher for a second straight session, helped by gains in financial stocks, with investors awaiting the country’s central bank’s policy rate decision due on Friday.

The CSE All Share index ended 1.21% higher at 9,333.83, on Thursday.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged for a fourth straight meeting as it strives to keep a cap on inflation while waiting for an International Monetary Fund bailout.

LOLC Holdings and Hatton National Bank were the biggest boosts to the index, rising 2.3% and 7.8%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data.

Trading volume on the CSE All Share index rose to 78.4 million shares from 43 million in the previous session.

Sri Lankan shares rise as consumer staples, communication services gain

The equity market’s turnover rose to 1.45 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($4.19 million) from 1.27 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net buyers in the equity market, purchasing shares worth 133.4 million rupees, while domestic investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 1.37 billion rupees, data showed.