Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed flat on Friday, with the benchmark All Share Price Index adding 6.22 points or 0.03% to settle at 22,905, while the more liquid S&P SL20 advanced 16.98 points or 0.27% to 6,284.
The ASPI still ended the week 115 points below last Friday’s close as the rupee’s sharp slide and rising inflation continue to weigh on sentiment. Turnover for the session was Rs.2.84 billion, with capital goods leading at Rs.1.072 billion.
Dialog Axiata was the standout gainer, advancing 6.53% to Rs.37.50. Hayleys added 0.83% to Rs.242, Commercial Bank rose 0.48% to Rs.209.50 and Hunter and Company also contributed positively to the index.
On the downside, Ceylinco Insurance fell 2.91% to Rs.3,107, Richard Pieris lost 2.57% to Rs.34.10, Nations Trust Bank declined 1.23% to Rs.320.25 and Central Finance also dragged the index.
In a separate disclosure to the bourse, Amana Bank announced a change in its external auditors, with Ernst & Young departing after five years and KPMG taking over the engagement. The change mirrors the parallel EY-to-KPMG rotation at NDB Bank in April and comes against the backdrop of Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe’s renewed call for tighter fraud controls across the banking sector.
The flat session followed Thursday’s profit-taking that ended a brief mid-week rally and a retail-driven rupee depreciation to Rs.332 against the dollar on the same day.
