Friday 16 October 2009

* Sri Lankan shares close flat, foreign inflows top Rs1.0bn - Trading Friday - 16 Oct, 2009

Sri Lankan share closed down Friday as the market was taking a slow technical correction, while net foreign inflows had topped one billion rupees.

The All Share Price Index closed down 0.10 percent (3.22 points) to end at 3,131.91, while the Milanka Index of more liquid stocks gained 0.26 percent (9.08 points) to close at 3,546.93, according to provisional stock exchange data.

Turnover was 836.7 million rupees.

There was a net foreign outflow of 10.7 million rupees as foreigners bought 184.3 million rupees worth of shares and sold 195.0 million rupees.

This week end foreign inflows had reached 1.07 billion rupees, one of the weekly highest in the recent past.

Diversified JKH closed flat at 153.00 rupees, down 1.00 on 244,600 shares traded, and Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka closed at 107.50 rupees, down 1.25.

Building and construction sector shares saw active trading. Sierra Cables closed flat at 2.20 rupees with 1.76 million shares traded, and Tokyo Cement non-voting shares closed at 18.00 rupees, up 50 cents with 1.24 million shares changing hands.

Lanka Cement closed at 30.25 rupees, down 25 cents.

National Development Bank closed at 201.00 rupees, up 1.00, and Commercial Bank of Ceylon closed at 190.25 rupees, down 1.75.Sampath Bank closed at 193.00 rupees, down 75 cents, and Seylan Bank closed at 44.75 rupees, down 25 cents.

Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telekom Malaysia closed flat at 7.50 rupees, and fixed line operator Sri Lankan Telecom closed at 46.00 rupees, up 25 cents.