The All Share Price Index closed Thursday at 20,880.90, up 67.97 points or 0.33%, recovering from Wednesday’s flat session — though the index finished below the levels it reached in morning trade.
The more liquid S&P SL20 closed at 5,902.46, up 8.30 points or 0.14%, EconomyNext reported. Turnover was Rs. 1.43 billion, down from Rs. 1.55 billion the previous session.
“There is a slight renewal in sentiment, but I don’t think this is properly indicative of a long-term trend,” said Raynal Wickremeratne of NDB Securities.
The day faded from its highs
The index was stronger earlier in the day than it was at the close. It opened up 0.43% at 20,902.94 and was quoted at 20,908 — up 0.46%, or 95.31 points — late in the morning, before easing to finish 67.97 points ahead. The pattern is a milder version of Wednesday’s session, when a 117-point morning gain was given up entirely and the ASPI ended 4.89 points down.
Thursday’s close implies a previous close of 20,812.93, which matches the figure recorded for Wednesday exactly — confirming the two sessions are consecutive and comparably measured.
Notably, the index rose on lower turnover than the session it was recovering from. A gain on thinner volume is weaker evidence of broad buying than the headline percentage suggests, which is consistent with the caution in Wickremeratne’s assessment.
Where the money went
Banking led turnover at Rs. 489.34 million, followed by capital goods at Rs. 421.33 million. Between them the two sectors accounted for roughly 64% of the day’s total.
Gainers
| Stock | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Singer (Sri Lanka) | Rs. 78.60 | +2.88% |
| LOLC Holdings | Rs. 443.00 | +1.72% |
| Dialog Axiata | Rs. 45.80 | +1.33% |
| Carson Cumberbatch | Rs. 729.50 | +1.32% |
| Commercial Bank of Ceylon | Rs. 203.00 | +0.25% |
Decliners
| Stock | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| LOLC Finance | Rs. 5.10 | −3.77% |
| People’s Leasing & Finance | Rs. 17.50 | −2.78% |
| Sri Lanka Telecom | Rs. 83.90 | −1.29% |
LOLC Holdings rose while LOLC Finance fell nearly 4%, the two moving in opposite directions within the same group.
A second account, and a small discrepancy on the SL20
The Daily Mirror’s business desk published its own close, credited to Almas Equities Research, at 6.23 p.m. — after the 2.30 p.m. close. It matches EconomyNext exactly on the ASPI: a gain of 67.97 points, or 0.33%, to 20,880.90, on turnover of Rs. 1.43 billion.
The two differ on the S&P SL20 by 0.81 of a point. EconomyNext puts the close at 5,902.46, up 8.30 points (0.14%); the Daily Mirror has 5,901.65, up 7.49 points (0.13%). Both figures imply the same previous close of 5,894.16, so this is the same session measured from the same baseline, and the difference is confined to the closing print rather than the data feed.
The Daily Mirror adds detail EconomyNext omits: 65.39 million shares traded, with crossings accounting for 43% of turnover. Sampath Bank was the single busiest counter at Rs. 352.29 million, about Rs. 210.42 million of it in crossings, followed by Access Engineering (Rs. 159.19 million) and Lanka IOC (Rs. 129.00 million), with further blocks in Hatton National Bank, John Keells Holdings and Hayleys. It also puts the intraday high beyond 20,920 before late selling trimmed the gain — slightly above the 20,908 level EconomyNext quoted in late-morning trade.
That crossings share matters for reading the session: with 43% of turnover in pre-arranged blocks, the day’s activity was less a broad market bid than a handful of negotiated deals, reinforcing the caution noted above.
A third account settles the SL20 split
Hiru News also carried the close, matching both other outlets on the ASPI at 20,880.90 and a gain of 67.97 points, and putting turnover at Rs. 1.4 billion.
On the S&P SL20 it sides with the Daily Mirror: 5,901.65, up 7.49 points. That makes the split two accounts to one against EconomyNext’s 5,902.46, and since all three imply the same previous close of 5,894.16, the disagreement remains confined to the closing print rather than the session or the baseline.
Hiru’s report also notes Fitch Ratings’ upgrade of Bank of Ceylon’s issuer default ratings to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+’, announced the same day.
Not reported
Neither account gives the day’s gainer-to-decliner count or discloses net foreign buying or selling.
