* The CSE All Share index rose 2.49% to 8,843.05.
* Sri Lanka raised electricity prices by 66% on Thursday, in a move the government hopes will persuade the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide a bailout for its crisis-stricken economy.
* Separately, Sri Lanka and India will sign a pact to link
their power grids and start negotiations on an upgraded trade
agreement within two months, a Sri Lankan diplomat said on
Wednesday.
* The island nation is seeking to enhance trade and
investments as it moves to close a $2.9 billion loan from the
IMF, the country's envoy to New Delhi told Reuters.
* LOLC Finance and Expolanka Holdings Plc provided the biggest boost to the index, rising 17.9%
and 2.7%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data.
* The trading volume on the CSE All Share index rose to 94.3
million shares from 82.2 million in the previous session.
* The equity market's turnover rose to 2.04 billion Sri
Lankan rupees ($5.65 million) from 1.88 billion rupees on
Wednesday, according to exchange data.
* Foreign investors were net buyers in the equity market,
purchasing stocks worth about 197.6 million rupees, while
domestic investors were net sellers, offloading 1.84 billion
rupees worth of shares, the data showed.
* For a report on global markets, click ($1 = 361.0000 Sri Lankan rupees)
(Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru; editing by Eileen
Soreng)
