Sri Lanka's share index ended little changed on Monday, hovering near its 5-1/2-year low, as investors awaited direction from the third and final vote on the 2019 budget, market sources said. The Colombo Stock Exchange index fell 0.02 percent to 5,614.98, hovering near its lowest close since Sept. 9, 2013 hit on Wednesday. The benchmark stock index fell 1.85 percent last week, recording its sixth straight weekly drop. It has declined 7.2 percent so far this year.
The turnover was 251.4 million rupees ($1.41 million), well below last year's daily average of 834 million rupees. Foreign investors sold a net 40.8 million rupees worth of shares on Monday, extending the year-to-date net foreign outflow of 5.97 billion rupees worth of equities.
The rupee ended firmer at 178.25/40 to a dollar on greenback inflows and weak dollar demand, compared to Friday's close of 178.40/55. Inflows from a sale of $2.4 billion sovereign bonds were expected to boost the rupee.
The rupee has climbed 2.4 percent so far this year as exporters converted dollars and foreign investors purchased government securities amid stabilising investor confidence after the country repaid a $1 billion sovereign bond in mid-January.