The bourse closed after a volatile trading session as the index fell below 8,900 points during midday yet recovered towards the end partially offsetting the losses as it halted at 8,906 losing 22 points. Moreover, CTC was one of the top gainers for the day as it triggered movement due to the notable cash dividend announcement amidst successful earrings results in the 1Q2023. Furthermore, Banking sector counters such as HNB, NTB and NDB had revitalized interest backed by exceptional 1Q2023 quarterly earnings. Meanwhile the turnover was recorded at LKR 676.6Mn, 17% lower than the monthly average of LKR 815.7Mn backed by the Transportation sector (25%), Food, Beverage and Tobacco sector (21%) and the Banking sector (15%) respectively, while the turnover remained stagnant on a WoW basis.
EXPO and CTC led the overall turnover while EXPO contributed LKR170.8Mn (25%) and CTC contributed LKR83.3Mn (12%). (First Capital Research)