Sri Lanka’s bourse opened the week in positive territory, with the All Share Price Index up 0.17 per cent in early trading on Monday.
The ASPI rose 36.73 points to 21,657.17, while the S&P Sri Lanka 20 — which tracks the market’s largest and most liquid counters — gained 32.73 points, or 0.54 per cent, to 6,091.65, EconomyNext reported.
Market turnover was Rs. 446 million.
The opening levels extend the advance recorded at Friday’s close, when the ASPI finished at 21,620.44 and the S&P SL20 at 6,058.92 after a third consecutive session of gains.
Movers
Top positive contributors to the ASPI were Dialog Axiata (up 50 cents at Rs. 49), HNB (up Rs. 2 at Rs. 382), Commercial Bank (up Rs. 1 at Rs. 206), Access Engineering (up Rs. 1.40 at Rs. 80.50) and ACL Cables (up Rs. 1.90 at Rs. 97.80).
On the downside were Haycarb (down Rs. 6.50 at Rs. 212), Colombo Dockyard (down Rs. 1 at Rs. 125.25), John Keells Holdings (flat at Rs. 19.60), Browns Investments (down 10 cents at Rs. 5.20) and Ceylon Cold Stores (down Rs. 1.50 at Rs. 126).
Dialog Axiata also led the advance at Friday’s close, while Browns Investments was the largest drag in both sessions.
Watchlist additions
Greentech Energy, Laugfs Gas, Exterminators, Janashakthi Finance, Tess Agro, Eastern Merchants, Lake House Printers and Publishers and Industrial Asphalts were transferred to the watchlist for non-submission of annual reports for the year ended 31 March 2026.
They join Standard Capital, Softlogic Holdings, Kelsey Developments, Hela Apparel Holdings, Nation Lanka Finance, Blue Diamonds Jewellery, Bimputh Lanka Investments, Asia Capital and Anilana Hotels and Properties, which remained on the watchlist for the same reason.
Update: the opening gain did not hold
The market gave back almost all of Monday’s early advance. The ASPI closed at 21,623.66, up just 3.22 points, or 0.01 per cent — against the 36.73-point gain it was showing in early trading. The S&P SL20 finished at 6,066.55, up 7.63 points, or 0.13 per cent, having been up 32.73 points at the open, Daily Mirror reported, citing Almas Equities Research.
The index briefly approached 21,680 early on before losing momentum, with selling pressure through much of the afternoon pushing it back towards 21,620. A modest late recovery left it marginally positive.
Full-day turnover reached Rs. 2.13 billion on about 63.98 million shares — well above the Rs. 446 million recorded in the opening stretch. Banks dominated activity with roughly Rs. 473.33 million in turnover, Hatton National Bank alone accounting for about Rs. 266.70 million.
Crossings made up around 36 per cent of equity turnover at roughly Rs. 778.53 million, the largest being 12.60 million ATL.N shares at Rs. 24.00, worth Rs. 302.40 million. Foreign investors remained net sellers, though the outflow was a modest Rs. 18.54 million.
Market breadth was almost exactly even — 106 advancing against 108 declining, an advance-to-decline ratio of 0.98 — which is what a flat close on heavy turnover implies.
Hayleys was the strongest positive contributor, adding 19.85 points to the ASPI, supported by ACL Cables, Sri Lanka Telecom, Hatton National Bank and Dialog Axiata. Lion Brewery was the largest drag, taking 8.81 points off the index, with Carson Cumberbatch, Haycarb, John Keells Holdings and Ceylon Cold Stores also weighing.
Two counters appear on both lists across the day: ACL Cables and HNB led at the open and again at the close, while Haycarb, John Keells Holdings and Ceylon Cold Stores were among the laggards in both readings.
