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COLOMBO: Sri Lankan shares climbed on Friday, buoyed by the island nation’s central bank forecasting 4.5% economic growth this year, to finish the week in positive territory.
The CSE All-Share index settled up 1.45% at 20,218.36, gaining 1.98% for the week.
The central bank, in its monetary policy report, projected the economy would grow 4.5% in 2025, above the World Bank’s 3.5% forecast. It warned, however, of risks from external demand and recent US tariffs. SMB Finance PLC and Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) PLC were the top percentage gainers on the CSE All-Share index, rising 33.3% and 25%, respectively.
Trading volume on the index rose to 332.4 million shares from 267.3 million in the previous session.