Sri Lankan shares end higher ahead of policy outcome

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
March 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares closed higher for a second straight session, helped by gains in financial stocks, with investors awaiting the country's central bank's policy rate decision due on Friday.


* The CSE All Share index ended 1.21% higher at 9,333.83, on Thursday.
* The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged for a fourth straight meeting as it strives to keep a cap on inflation while waiting for an International Monetary Fund bailout.
* LOLC Holdings and Hatton National Bank were the biggest boosts to the index, rising 2.3% and 7.8%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data.
* Trading volume on the CSE All Share index rose to 78.4 million shares from 43 million in the previous session.
* The equity market's turnover rose to 1.45 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($4.19 million) from 1.27 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.
* Foreign investors were net buyers in the equity market, purchasing shares worth 133.4 million rupees, while domestic investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 1.37 billion rupees, data showed.
* For a report on global markets, click ($1 = 346.1500 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)

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