Sri Lanka stocks close down 0.31-pct, turnover at 921-mn rupees

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed down on Monday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index falling 0.31 percent.

The ASPI was down 62.78 points at 20,079.55, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was down 0.66 percent, or 38.15 points, at 5,708.25.

A significant transaction was recorded in Empower Board-listed Chrissworld PLC, where 246 million rupees was traded for close to a 50 percent stake in the company, Raynal Wickremeratne, Head of Research and Strategy at NDB Securities, said. A Sampath bank crossing of just over 160 million rupees was also recorded during the session.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Ambeon Holdings (up 12.01 percent at 34.50 rupees), Richard Pieris and Company (up 3.45 percent at 27.00 rupees), Malwatte Valley Plantations (up 7.56 percent at 55.50 rupees), SMB Finance (up 11.11 percent at 1.00 rupee), and LOLC Holdings (up 1.20 percent at 379.75 rupees).

Dialog Axiata (down 1.59 percent at 43.30 rupees), Commercial Bank of Ceylon (down 0.75 percent at 197.75 rupees), John Keells Holdings (down 2.75 percent at 17.70 rupees), Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka (down 0.73 percent at 54.70 rupees), and Hayleys (down 0.57 percent at 218.00 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 921.22 million rupees. The S&P/CSE Banks industry group led turnover with 351.07 million rupees.

In corporate news, Sri Lanka’s Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) increased its shareholding in ACL Cables PLC to 10 percent of its issued share capital through a series of transactions, holding 71,872,416 shares as of September 30, up from 68,858,834 shares (9.6 percent) as of June 30.

Separately, Fitch Ratings took action on the National Long-Term Ratings of eight Sri Lankan banks following a recalibration of the national rating scale after the recent sovereign rating upgrade. Fitch upgraded Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank to ‘AA+(lka)’ from ‘AA-(lka)’ with Stable Outlooks, and Commercial Bank of Ceylon to ‘AA(lka)’ from ‘AA-(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook. Nations Trust Bank was affirmed at ‘A(lka)’ with its Outlook revised to Positive from Stable, Union Bank of Colombo was affirmed at ‘BBB-(lka)’ with a Negative Outlook, and Cargills Bank was downgraded to ‘A-(lka)’ from ‘A(lka)’ with a Negative Outlook. Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank of Sri Lanka (‘BB+(lka)’) and State Mortgage & Investment Bank (‘BB(lka)’) were maintained on Rating Watch Positive. (Colombo/Nov2/2026)