By

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan shares fell on Monday, pulled down by losses in information technology stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.44 percent lower at 22,080.65 points, dropping for the fifth straight session

SMB Finance PLC and Softlogic Holdings PLC were the top percentage losers on the index, down 10 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, on the day.

Trading volume on the index rose to 41.8 million shares from 30.6 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market’s turnover fell to 1.35 billion Sri Lankan rupees (USD4.03 million) from 1.54 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 332.7 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 1.34 billion rupees, the data showed.