The Colombo Stock Exchange staged its strongest single-day rally in weeks on Monday, with the benchmark All Share Price Index jumping 743.22 points, or 3.43 percent, to close at 22,380.65 on what Daily Mirror described as renewed buying interest and improving regional sentiment.
The more liquid S&P SL20 climbed 192.48 points, or 3.19 percent, to 6,219.53. Turnover came in at Rs. 4.00 billion on 205.58 million shares, with market breadth overwhelmingly positive — 260 counters advanced against only 23 decliners.
Capital Goods was the day’s largest contributor to turnover at Rs. 0.62 billion, led by Access Engineering, which traded Rs. 0.13 billion on 1.70 million shares. Crossings accounted for Rs. 0.83 billion, or about 21 percent of the day’s turnover, with the largest single block transaction in Aitken Spence at Rs. 0.17 billion.
Sampath Bank was the single biggest contributor to the index gain, adding 40.40 points, followed by Commercial Bank of Ceylon, John Keells Holdings, Melstacorp and Dialog Axiata. Only a handful of counters fell, with Ceylon Cold Stores, Citrus Waskaduwa, Hela Apparel, Lanka Cement and Asia Asset Finance shedding fractional points.
The rally interrupted a run of selling that had taken the ASPI down to 21,270 on Wednesday last week, in part on banking-sector pressure. Daily Mirror attributed the swing to “improving global sentiment and a more favourable regional outlook,” following Sunday’s announcement that the United States and Iran had completed a peace deal that frees the Strait of Hormuz of tolls and a 4 percent fall in oil prices on Monday.
Friday’s earlier bounce, when the ASPI added 372.93 points after President Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran, set the tone for the start of the week.
