The Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher on Wednesday as trading resumed after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year long weekend, with the All Share Price Index gaining 0.60 percent to finish at 22,261.48. The S&P SL20 rose 0.57 percent to 6,187.75. Turnover reached Rs. 3.05 billion.
Ceylinco Holdings led gains, up 4.76 percent at Rs. 3,248.25. Melstacorp rose 1.41 percent to Rs. 180 and Hatton National Bank climbed 0.85 percent to Rs. 414. DFCC Bank fell 1.52 percent to Rs. 145.50, while Sunshine Holdings dropped 1.59 percent to Rs. 31.
Treasury bill yields rose across all maturities at Wednesday’s auction, where Rs. 58.52 billion of bills were sold against an offered Rs. 90 billion. The 3-month bill climbed 20 basis points to 8.15 percent, the 6-month bill rose 8 basis points to 8.22 percent, and the 12-month yield added 7 basis points to reach 8.52 percent. All three maturities remain available on tap.
The rupee closed flat at 315.55/65 to the US dollar, barely changed from Friday’s 315.50/60. Bond yields were broadly steady, with the June 2034 maturity edging down to 11.12/17 percent from 11.15/18.
Markets last closed down 0.33 percent on April 9 before the holiday break. The moderate rebound suggests cautious optimism, though investors remain wary of ongoing geopolitical risks and the IMF’s warning of adverse global growth scenarios.
