CSE ends week on a soft note as early gains fade amid cautious Friday profit-taking

By Almas Equities Research

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) ended the week on a slightly weaker footing on Friday, as an early attempt at recovery lost momentum and the market drifted lower into the close. Despite a positive start to the session, profit-taking and selective selling during the latter half of trading erased intraday gains, resulting in a marginally negative finish.

The benchmark index initially advanced by over 100 points within the first hour, supported by strategic buying interest and active crossing trades. However, sustained upside momentum failed to materialize, with sentiment turning cautious as investors opted to lock in profits ahead of the weekend.

Market participation remained selective throughout the session, with investors continuing to focus on a limited set of fundamentally strong counters while broader conviction remained subdued amid ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) declined by 16.18 points, or 0.07%, to close at 21,744.13, while the S&P SL20 Index fell by 7.73 points, or 0.13%, to end at 6,031.73.

Total market turnover stood at LKR 2.97 billion, with a share volume of 112.64 million shares. Trading activity was notably supported by block and crossing transactions, indicating continued institutional and strategic participation despite the lack of directional momentum.

The Capital Goods sector led turnover contributions, generating LKR 0.76 billion from 46.26 million shares traded. JKH.N dominated sector activity, accounting for the full LKR 0.76 billion turnover and 38.38 million shares, reflecting concentrated interest in the counter.

Crossings accounted for LKR 1.36 billion, representing 45% of total turnover. The largest crossing was recorded in JKH.N, amounting to LKR 0.66 billion involving 33.07 million shares, underscoring significant block-level activity during the session.

Market breadth remained weak, with 84 gainers against 123 decliners, highlighting continued underlying selling pressure despite selective buying in key stocks.

On the index, BREW.N led positive contributions with a gain of 10.13 points, followed by CCS.N, CARG.N, MELS.N, and CTC.N. On the downside, HAYL.N was the largest drag, contributing a 5.72-point decline, while WIND.N, PKME.N, RCL.N, and RICH.N also weighed on overall performance.

Among notable trades, CCS.N recorded active participation with a turnover of LKR 0.13 billion and 0.96 million shares traded, although it closed 2.63% lower amid late-session profit-taking pressure.