Share market fortunes up in the wake of CBSL decision on interest rates

by Hiran H.Senewiratne

The CSE closed on a positive note yesterday following the CBSL decision to keep policy interest rates unchanged. However, during the morning session the market was volatile due to share price fluctuations in LOLC Finance and Commercial Leasing and Finance, subsidiaries of the LOLC Group. But during the latter part of the day buying interest was noted in Browns Investments and Brown and Company, moving the stock market to positive territory, market analysts said.

During the day, the food and beverage and manufacturing sectors were the main turnover contributors. The manufacturing sector, which involves tile and aluminium enterprises, showed good performance in the market but the reversal of the chemical fertilizer policy boosted plantation stocks.

Two index heavy companies that lifted the market were, Browns Investments and Brown and Company. Browns Investments’ share price appreciated by 11 per cent or Rs 1.10. Its shares traded at Rs 11.90 at the commencement of trading and at the end of the day they shot up to Rs 13 and Brown and Company shares appreciated by Rs 18 or 7.5 per cent.

Amid those developments both indices were positive. The All- Share Price Index rose by 115.6 points and S and P SL20 went up by 16.4 points. Turnover stood at Rs 9.98 billion with two crossings. Those crossings were reported in Sampath Bank, which crossed 713.2 million shares to the tune of Rs 38.1 million, its shares traded at Rs 53.50, HNB 224,000 shares crossed for Rs 34.6 million, its shares traded at Rs 154 and Windforce 1.15 million shares crossed for Rs 20.5 million, its shares traded at Rs 18.10.

In the retail market, top seven companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were, Browns Investments Rs 2.36 billion (186.6 million shares traded), Lanka Realty Investments Rs 995 million (39.1 million shares traded), Expolanka Rs 609 million (2.6 million shares traded), Bogala Graphite Rs 465 million (2.9 million shares traded), Agalawatte Plantations Rs 423 million (8.1 million shares traded), Brown and Company Rs 378 million (1.5 million shares traded) and Royal Ceramic Rs 361 million (6.3 million shares traded). During the day 459 million share volumes changed hands in 61435 transactions.

Yesterday the US dollar was quoted at Rs 200.97, which was the controlled price of the Central Bank to prevent price escalation of essential imported items. But the actual market price exceeds that.