Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark All Share Price Index up 0.50 percent or 111.57 points at 22,310.80. The more liquid S&P SL20 added 0.45 percent, or 27.81 points, to finish at 6,159.15.
The ASPI gained 381.16 points over the week from the previous Friday’s close of 21,929.64. Market turnover on Friday was Rs.7.38 billion, with diversified financials leading at Rs.3.89 billion and insurance second at Rs.1.17 billion.
Top positive contributors were Commercial Bank of Ceylon (up 1.34 percent to Rs.208.00), Dialog Axiata (up 2.40 percent to Rs.42.60), Melstacorp (up 1.34 percent to Rs.188.75) and Access Engineering (up 3.32 percent to Rs.77.90). Negative drags included Hatton National Bank (down 1.19 percent to Rs.395.25), Sampath Bank (down 0.70 percent to Rs.142.00) and Watawala Plantations (down 2.24 percent to Rs.48.10).
Aitken Spence Q1 profit up 25.2%
Aitken Spence reported a Q1 profit of Rs.3.81 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2026, a 25.2 percent increase from Rs.3.04 billion in the same period a year earlier. The diversified conglomerate announced a tax-exempt first and final dividend of Rs.4.00 per share, subject to shareholder approval. Shares closed up 2.23 percent at Rs.137.25.
Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings declared a Rs.0.28 tax-exempt dividend per share; the stock closed up 0.11 percent at Rs.94.40.
The Q1 earnings cap a busy week for the Aitken Spence group, which earlier secured Sri Lanka’s first WorldStar 2026 Luxury Packaging award through its printing arm and exited the Browns Beach Hotels stake earlier this month. Friday’s gains came against a backdrop of a sharp Rs.4 single-day rupee fall and renewed Middle East-driven import-cost pressure.
