Investing.com – Sri Lanka stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Trading, Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals and Manufacturing sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Colombo, the CSE All-Share gained 0.56%.
The best performers of the session on the CSE All-Share were Paragon Ceylon PLC (CM:PARA), which rose 16.28% or 98.00 points to trade at 700.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC (CM:SWAR) added 11.11% or 0.20 points to end at 2.00 and PC Pharma PLC (CM:PCPH) was up 10.00% or 0.10 points to 1.00 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Central Investments and Finance PLC (CM:CIFL), which fell 12.50% or 0.100 points to trade at 0.700 at the close. Lanka Ashok Leyland PLC (CM:ASHO) declined 9.25% or 148.00 points to end at 1452.00 and Muller & Phipps PLC (CM:MULL) was down 7.14% or 0.10 points to 1.30.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Colombo Stock Exchange by 142 to 61 and 19 ended unchanged.
Shares in Central Investments and Finance PLC (CM:CIFL) fell to 52-week lows; down 12.50% or 0.100 to 0.700.
Crude oil for August delivery was down 0.90% or 0.47 to $52.56 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in September fell 1.05% or 0.61 to hit $58.06 a barrel, while the August Gold contract rose 0.01% or 0.10 to trade at $1153.60 a troy ounce.
GBP/LKR was up 0.59% to 209.685, while USD/LKR rose 0.27% to 134.150.
The US Dollar Index was down 0.03% at 96.78.