The Colombo Stock Exchange ended today’s session on a negative note, as weaker-than-expected Banking sector earnings for the quarter dampened overall investor sentiment. Declines in both QoQ and YoY performances across several banking counters triggered selling pressure during the first hour of trading, pushing the ASPI down by over 100 points intraday before the market gradually stabilized.

Despite the early weakness, the market managed to maintain its levels during the latter half of the session, eventually closing with a moderate decline. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid the absence of strong market conviction, while participants continued to closely monitor ongoing quarterly earnings releases and geopolitical developments for clearer direction on both local and global economic conditions.The Capital Goods sector dominated today’s market turnover, recording LKR 0.54 Bn with 20.14 Mn shares traded. JKH.N emerged as the top contributor within the sector, generating LKR 0.26 Bn in turnover with 12.98 Mn shares traded.

At the close, the ASPI declined by 95.00 points (-0.41%) to settle at 22,920.32, while the S&P SL20 fell by 24.90 points (-0.40%) to close at 6,269.41. Total market turnover stood at LKR 2.82 Bn, with share volume recorded at 142.36 Mn shares.Crossings accounted for LKR 0.36 Bn, representing 12% of total turnover, with the largest crossing recorded in JKH.N amounting to LKR 0.20 Bn involving 9.91 Mn shares traded. Market breadth weakened further, with 69 gainers against 145 decliners, reflecting continued selling pressure across the broader market.

On the positive side, NHL.N (+6.08 points) led index gains, followed by LOLC.N, SEYB.N, LLUB.N, and CTC.N. On the downside, MELS.N (-9.42 points) emerged as the largest drag, while BUKI.N, NDB.N, DFCC.N, and HNB.N also weighed heavily on the index.

Among notable trades, NHL.N recorded significant activity with LKR 0.06 Bn in turnover and 4.21 Mn shares traded, posting a price gain of 9.74%, reflecting selective buying interest despite the broader market weakness.