CSE falls as both ASPI and S&P SL20 weaken

By Almas Equities Research 

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) closed lower today, reflecting a subdued market sentiment. The All Share Price Index (ASPI) dropped nearly 80 points in the first half of trading before making a mild recovery, yet remained in negative territory by the close, declining 46.83 points (-0.23%) to 19,928.67. The S&P SL20 also ended weaker, falling 35.06 points (-0.60%) to 5,780.58. Market turnover stood at LKR 7.09 Bn, with 267.45 Mn shares traded. Crossings accounted for LKR 0.854 Bn (12% of total turnover), led by PKME.N with LKR 0.452 Bn turnover from 3.91 Mn shares.

The Transportation sector emerged as the day’s highest contributor to sectoral turnover, representing nearly 19.5% of the total market activity. Out of the listed companies, 98 counters contributed positively to the ASPI, while 123 recorded declines. PKME.N topped the positive contributors with LKR 1.41 Bn turnover from 12.11 Mn shares traded. Other notable gainers included COOP.N, DFCC.N, ABAN.N, and LVEF.N, with ABAN.N seeing a sharp 24.99% price surge, supporting overall market sentiment.

On the downside, HAYL.N led the negative contributors with LKR 131.12 Mn turnover from 738,756 shares traded. SAMP.N, CFIN.N, CARG.N, and NDB.N also exerted downward pressure on the indices. Notably, heavy trading volumes were seen in PKME.N, while the sharp price appreciation in ABAN.N added momentum on the gainers’ side, partially offsetting broader market weakness.