The Colombo Stock Exchange opened the week lower on Monday, with the All Share Price Index falling 77.08 points, or 0.37%, to close at 20,979.18 — back below the 21,000 mark on the year’s second-thinnest trading day.
Turnover came to Rs. 750.35 million, which the Daily Mirror described as the second-lowest daily figure recorded so far in 2026. Some 48.73 million shares changed hands.
A reversal through the session
The market did not open weak. EconomyNext had the ASPI at 21,070 in early trade, above Friday’s close, before it gave up roughly 91 points across the day. The Daily Mirror said the index “weakened steadily through the session and closed near the day’s low.”
Monday’s fall follows a week in which the ASPI had already shed 326.48 points to finish at 21,056.26.
Breadth was firmly negative
| Measure | Monday |
|---|---|
| ASPI | 20,979.18 (−77.08, −0.37%) |
| Turnover | Rs. 750.35 mn |
| Shares traded | 48.73 mn |
| Gainers / decliners | 71 / 135 |
| Advance-decline ratio | 0.53 |
| Foreign flows (equities) | +Rs. 19.11 mn |
Capital goods led sector turnover at Rs. 154.10 million, followed by food, beverage and tobacco at Rs. 110.9 million. John Keells Holdings recorded the highest single-counter turnover at Rs. 106.44 million. Crossings made up about 20% of the day’s total, led by JKH at roughly Rs. 77.01 million, then Hotels Corporation and Ceylon Cold Stores.
Foreign investors were marginal net buyers of equities, though overall foreign participation stayed limited. That contrasts with the bond market: EconomyNext reported separately on Monday that offshore investors sold a net Rs. 7.3 billion (US$22.5 million) of rupee bonds in the week to September 18 — their first week of selling in 14, after buying Rs. 92 billion over the previous 13 weeks, amid rupee depreciation.
The two outlets disagree on the S&P SL20
The three reports agree exactly on the ASPI, on turnover and on the sector figures. They do not agree on the more liquid S&P SL20 index:
- The Daily Mirror and Hiru News both put it down 19.44 points at 5,909.45 (−0.33%).
- EconomyNext puts it down 22.89 points at 5,906 (−0.39%).
Both versions are internally consistent and both start from the same base — Friday’s close of 5,928.89 — so the 3.45-point gap is a difference in the closing level reported, not an arithmetic error by either newsroom. Readers should treat the SL20 close as unsettled between 5,906 and 5,909.45 pending the exchange’s own confirmation.
The outlets also list different index movers. The Daily Mirror named Lion Brewery as the largest drag, followed by Melstacorp, C T Holdings, Ceylinco Insurance and Hatton National Bank, with Haycarb the strongest positive. EconomyNext listed Melstacorp, Hatton National Bank, ACL Cables and Access Engineering as the top negatives, and Aitken Spence (up 0.73% at Rs. 138.50), Nations Trust Bank (up 0.58% at Rs. 305.00) and HNB Life (up 2.14% at Rs. 143.00) as the positives. Melstacorp and Hatton National Bank appear on both lists.
In a separate disclosure, EconomyNext reported that Andrew Lee stepped down as chairman of Blue Diamonds Jewellery with effect from September 16.
The Daily Mirror’s market comment, credited to Almas Equities Research, said the combination of the index falling below 21,000, near-record-low turnover and weak breadth “points to a clear deterioration in near-term participation and sentiment,” and flagged the next session as a test of whether buying support emerges around the 21,000 level.
