- The Invisible
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Sri Lanka stocks down 0.33-pct, rupee steady
Colombo’s All Share index fell 0.33 percent, to end 19.27 points lower at 5,776.75, and the S&P SL20 index of more liquid stocks closed 0.63 percent lower, down 18.45 points to 2,917.45.
Market turnover was 448.3 million rupees, as 63 stocks declined during the day against the 61 that gained.
Hatton National Bank (down 4.90 rupees to 200.30 rupees), Dialog (down 20 cents to 11.50 rupees) and Ceylon Tobacco (down 5.30 rupees to 1,380.20 rupees) weighed down the benchmark index.
Ceylon Cold Stores closed 10.30 rupees lower at 741.90 rupees and Richard Pieris and Company was down 40 cents to 10.20 rupees.
Net foreign selling was 110.4 million rupees, down from 499.6 million the previous day.
Net foreign selling in Melstacorp was 97 million rupees followed by John Keels Holdings for 53 million rupees, Asia Securities said.
Melstacorp closed 60 cents lower at 50 rupees and John Keells Holdings ended 30 cents higher at 129.30 rupees.
Crossings, or off-market negotiated trades, totalled 130.97 million rupees and accounted for 29.2 percent of market turnover.
There was one crossing in Melstacorp for 97.97 million rupees and one in Commercial Bank for 33 million rupees.
Commercial Bank was unchanged at 110 rupees.
The rupee closed steady at 171.0/05 rupees against the US dollars in the spot market with the central bank announcing that it raised a 1 billion US dollar loan from China Development Bank, market participants said.
The currency closed Tuesday at 170.90/171.10 rupees against the greenback.
Gilt yields edged lower in the secondary market.
A three-year bond maturing in 2021 ended at 10.90/11.10 percent in two-way quotes, down from the previous close of 11.40/50 percent.
A five-year bond maturing in 2023 closed at 11.45/55 percent, down from 11.68/76 percent the previous day. (COLOMBO, 17 October 2018)