COLOMBO |
Feb
6 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares ended lower for a fifth straight session on
Wednesday as retail investors sold telecom
shares while foreign interest, mainly in Hatton National Bank, boosted
turnover, brokers said.
The
main share index fell 0.02 percent, or 1.21 points, to end at 5,780.09, its
lowest since Jan. 15.
Turnover
was 1.17 billion rupees ($9.25 million), almost equal to this year's daily
average of 1.18 billion rupees.
"Foreign
activity boosted the day's turnover, but most of the foreign investors sold
banking shares with some foreign buying seen," a stockbroker said on
condition of anonymity.
Hatton
National Bank fell 0.07 percent to 145 rupees while top fixed-line phone
operator Sri Lanka Telecom fell 1.82 percent to 43.20 rupees.
Foreign
investors were net sellers of 70.59 million rupees worth of shares, extending
the net selling so far this year to 940 million rupees.
Analysts
said many investors were on the sidelines ahead of the central bank's key
monetary policy announcement for February on Tuesday. They said investors might
wait for another rate cut before buying into equities.
The
rupee ended firmer at 126.15/25 to the dollar from Tuesday's close of 126.30/40
as exporters sold dollars, dealers said. ($1 = 126.45 rupees) (Reporting by
Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Editing by Nick Macfie)
