Dec
24 (Reuters)
- Sri Lanka's stock market inched higher on Monday but turnover slumped to a
near six-month low ahead of holidays this week, while the rupee fell from an
eight-month high due to importers buying dollars.
Colombo Stock Exchange's main index edged up 0.15
percent or 8.40 points to close at 5,524.89. Turnover fell to 101.3 million
rupees ($797,600), compared to this year's daily average of 888.6 million
rupees.
Stockbrokers said most investors were already on
holiday, with both stock and money
markets
closed on Tuesday and Thursday for Christmas and a Buddhist religious holiday
respectively.
Treasury bill yields eased by between 21 and 49 basis
points at a weekly auction in line with a cut in interest rates by the central
bank earlier this month.
Foreign investors were net buyers of 3.3 million
rupees worth of shares, extending net foreign buying this year to 37.78 billion
rupees.
The rupee fell from an 8-month high to finish at
127.00/10 to the dollar, edging down from Friday's close of 126.90/127.00. ($1
= 127.0000 Sri Lanka rupees) (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; editing by Patrick
Graham)
