Sri Lanka stocks close down 1.33-pct as oil climbs back up

The Colombo Stock Exchange closed down on Monday, along with other Asian markets, as brent futures stayed above the 115 dollars a barrel mark throughout the day.

The All Share Price Index closed down 1.33 percent, or 283.49 points, at 21,092.24.

The S&P SL20 fell back below the 6,000 mark after climbing past last Wednesday (25). The index closed down 1.52 percent, or 91.03 points, at 5,908.96.

Cargills (Ceylon) (up 3.42 percent at Rs.668.75), Browns Investments (up 5.26 percent at Rs.6.00), LOLC (up 0.76 percent at Rs.528.75) were the top positive contributors to ASPI.

John Keells Holdings (down 2.17 percent at Rs.18.00), National Development Bank (down 3.88 percent at Rs.130.00), and Hayleys (down 2.69 percent at Rs.217.00) were the top negative contributors.

Turnover was 4.76 billion rupees. Diversified financials contributed 1.612 billion to the turnover.

Crossings were seen in John Keells Holdings (1.4 million) and Sampath Bank (130,000).

Asia shares slid as oil rose above 115 dollars a barrel, with the US-Israel war on Iran entering its fifth week and Yemen’s Houthis joining the fray.

South Korea’s KOSPI closed down 2.97 percent, or 161.57 points, at 5,277.30.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed down 2.79 percent, or 1,487.22 points, at 51,885.85.