The Colombo Stock Exchange opened September by surrendering a morning rally, closing marginally lower on Tuesday after trading firmly higher for most of the first session of the month.
By late morning the All Share Price Index was up 0.23%, or 48.30 points, at 21,386.99, closing on the 21,400 mark, EconomyNext reported at 10:53 a.m. The S&P SL20 was then up 4.00 points at 6,013.68, holding above the 6,000 level.
Both indices had given that up by the close.
The closing figures differ by outlet
The two newsrooms that reported the close published different closing levels for the same session:
| Hiru News | EconomyNext | |
|---|---|---|
| ASPI | −0.10% at 21,318.31 | −0.08%, −16.47 points, at 21,322.22 |
| S&P SL20 | −0.39% at 5,986.45 | −0.34%, −20.36 points, at 5,989.32 |
The gap is small — about four points on the ASPI and three on the S&P SL20 — but the two sets of figures are not reconcilable to each other. Both outlets independently reported turnover of Rs. 2.32 billion, and both named John Keells Holdings, DFCC Bank and Dialog Axiata among the counters that dragged the index down, which confirms they are describing the same session rather than different snapshots of the market.
Neither outlet flagged a discrepancy or said whether its figures were provisional. Readers comparing the two should treat the closing levels as approximate.
What moved
John Keells Holdings fell 2.01% to Rs. 19.50, DFCC Bank 1.76% to Rs. 125.75, Dialog Axiata 0.86% to Rs. 46.00 and Aitken Spence 1.41% to Rs. 140.00, EconomyNext reported. Dialog Axiata had been among the morning’s gainers before turning down.
On the other side, Browns Investments rose 7.55% to Rs. 5.70, Singer (Sri Lanka) 2.78% to Rs. 81.20, Vallibel One 2.03% to Rs. 90.30, Ceylon Cold Stores 1.25% to Rs. 121.75 and Access Engineering 0.94% to Rs. 75.10.
Market breadth was marginally positive despite the lower close, with 102 counters gaining against 97 decliners, Hiru News reported. Food, Beverage and Tobacco led turnover with Rs. 400.53 million.
Turnover remains thin
At Rs. 2.32 billion, turnover improved on the previous session but stayed well below the daily average of Rs. 3.99 billion, Hiru reported — a gap that has characterised recent trading.
Both indices remain down for the year: the ASPI by 5.77% and the S&P SL20 by 2.78% year to date.
Context
Hiru paired its market report with the July construction data, noting that the sector’s continued expansion could support construction-related counters if new project awards hold up. The Central Bank’s construction PMI rose to 61.4 in July from 60.0 in June, though firms continued to report bitumen and skilled-labour shortages.
The market had closed August in positive territory.
What was not reported
Neither outlet explained what reversed the morning’s gains, gave the foreign buying or selling position for the session, or reported the number of trades. Neither reconciled the differing closing index levels.