Sri Lanka stocks close up, ASPI gains 0.41-pct

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher on Friday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving up 0.41 percent.

The ASPI was up 82.57 points at 20,316.91, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was up 0.45 percent, or 26.19 points, at 5,788.75.

The ASPI ended the week down 496 points from last Friday, amidst a mixed week of trading.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Dialog Axiata (up 0.91 percent at 44.50 rupees), Hatton National Bank (up 0.93 percent at 379.00 rupees), Commercial Bank of Ceylon (up 0.38 percent at 200.00 rupees), Richard Pieris and Company (up 4.30 percent at 26.70 rupees), and Laugfs Gas (up 7.35 percent at 40.90 rupees).

SMB Finance (down 9.09 percent at 1.00 rupee), LOLC Holdings (down 1.25 percent at 415.25 rupees), Haycarb (down 1.37 percent at 198.50 rupees), and Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) (down 16.67 percent at 0.50 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 1.05 billion rupees. Diversified financials led turnover with 233.69 million rupees, followed by capital goods with 200.09 million rupees.

During the session, crossings in Lanka Milk Foods (LMF) in the first half of the trading day drew market interest, Raynal Wickremeratne, Head of Research and Strategy at NDB Securities, said.

“Usually 20,000 is also a psychological limit,” Wickremeratne said. “When it comes back closer to that, people also might feel like it’s worth buying, so that’s why sometimes coming close to that you might have a bit of a move.” (Colombo/Oct09/2026)