The CSE yesterday kicked off on a positive sentiment but later turned volatile due to global factors, such as the oil price rise stemming from West Asian tensions, market analysts said.

The All Share Price Index went down by 107.39 points, while the S and P SL20 declined by 22.24 points. Turnover stood at Rs 1.09 billion with five crossings.

Those crossings were reported in Lanka IOC which crossed 748841 shares to the tune of Rs 102 million; its shares traded at Rs 136, CCS 500,000 shares crossed for Rs 62 million; its shares traded at Rs 124, HNB (Non-Voting) 92000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 29 million; its shares traded at Rs 315, Access Engineering 351,200 shares crossed for Rs 27 million; its shares sold at Rs 76 and Commercial Bank 100,000 shares crossed for Rs 20 million; its shares traded at Rs 202.

In the retail market top seven companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; Dipped Products Rs 82 million (1.5 million shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs 63 million (463,000 shares traded), CCS Rs 34 million (471,000 shares traded), Commercial Bank Rs 37 million (152,000 shares traded), Pan Asia Bank Rs 31 million (600,000 shares traded), Softlogic Capital Rs 25.7 million (2.3 million shares traded) and Sierra Cables Rs 25 million (928,000 shares traded).

During the day 48.7 million share volumes changed hands in 13054 transactions.

It is said that banking sector counters, especially HNB and Sampath Bank, performed well while the manufacturing sector, especially Dipped Products, also performed well. Further, the petroleum sector also performed well, especially Lanka IOC, due to global oil price hikes, market analysts said.

Meanwhile, BPPL Holdings announced its wholly owned subsidiary, Beira Brush (Private) Limited, entered into a Business Transfer Agreement to acquire the customer base of Ravi Industries, along with the “Ravi” trademark and related intellectual property. The minimum total consideration for the acquisition is Rs 300 million, which will be paid over a five-year period based on revenue generated from the acquired asset base.

Yesterday the rupee was quoted at Rs 336.30/50 to the US dollar in the spot market, from Rs 336.00/20 the previous day, while bond yields were slightly higher, dealers said.

On Monday, the government sold Rs 15 billion in 2030, 2034 and 2037 bonds.

A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 was quoted at 11.50/55 percent, up from 11.40/45 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2030 was quoted at 11.55/60 percent, up from 11.50/55 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.11.2033 was quoted at 11.80/85 percent, up from 11.75/85 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.06.2034 was quoted at 11.95/12.05 percent, up from 11.80/90 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2034 was quoted at 12.00/08 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.07.2037 was quoted at 12.58/62 percent.

Rs. 120,000 million Treasury Bills are to be issued through an auction on July 15.

By Hiran H. Senewiratne

The “Grid-Based Rooftop Solar Power and Virtual Net Meter Reading” has been identified as a priority-based project with the objective of providing a solution for the effective use and distribution of solar energy for the independent power producers and improving small- and medium-scale renewable energy projects.

Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 03-11-2025 to have negotiations with the Asian Development Bank and other relevant representatives in respect of project financing. As per the decisions of the aforementioned meetings, the discussions for obtaining the relevant loans and grants with the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the Japanese Fund for the Joint Credit Mechanisms have now been concluded.

Based on the agreement reached in those negotiations and as per the terms and conditions of the Asian Development Bank debts, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the  President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development to enter into debt and grant agreements for obtaining a debt of US$35 million from the concessional general capital resources of the Asian
Development Bank, a grant of EUR 15.4 million from the European Union, and a grant of US$5.5 million from the Japanese Fund for the Joint Credit Mechanism.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in collaboration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) hosted the first of a new series of country-wide investor forums on the iconic CSE trading floor on 25th June and 9th July in Sinhala and English respectively.

The investor forums collectively attracted over 180 participants, with many first-time investors taking the opportunity to speak to members of the SEC, CSE, Unit Trust Associations and Stockbrokers from 5:00 PM onwards.

The forums opened with presentations from senior economists of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, including Mrs. Lasantha Wijerathne and Chathura Kulawardena, who provided a high-level overview of the country’s macroeconomic landscape. The session also featured presentations by members of leading stockbroking firms, including Tharaka Peiris, Senior Research Analyst at NDB Securities (Pvt) Ltd, and . Cheran de la Harpe, Manager – Research at HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd, who provided participants with an overview of the capital market. In addition, representatives from the unit trust industry, including Asanka Herath, Secretary of the Unit Trust Association and CEO and Head of Equity at Lynear Wealth Management (Pvt) Ltd, and Surath Perera, Chief Investment Officer of Senfin Asset Management Pvt Ltd, introduced participants to investing in unit trusts.

The presentations were followed by an interactive panel discussion featuring the speakers as well as Vice President of the Unit Trust Association, Director and CEO of First Capital Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd Kavin Karunamoorthy, Acting Director General of the SEC Tushara Jayaratne and Executive Vice President – Marketing of the CSE Niroshan Wijesundere.

Following the panel discussions attendees enjoyed the opportunity to meet with stockbrokers and unit trust associations to open new investment accounts. All new investors who opened an account on the days of the forum were entitled to receive an investment coupon.

The forum was conducted amidst a remarkable six-year growth in the capital market which saw the All-Share Price Index (ASPI) rise from 4,846 points in May 2020 to 22,310.80 points by the end of May 2026. This represents a growth of 360% and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 28.98% – with capital gains remaining tax-free prospective investors can be notified of through the CSE website and mobile app.