Shares rise on broad-based gains

Sri Lankan markets closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by a rise across sectors, except information technology and communication services stocks.

* The CSE All-Share index settled 0.64% higher at 15,625.88 points.

* Industrial Asphalts and Equity Two were the top percentage gainers on the index, up 33.3% and 16.7%, respectively.

* Trading volume on the index fell to 30.2 million shares from 42.1 million in the previous session.

* According to exchange data, the equity market’s turnover declined to 792.8 million Sri Lankan rupees ($2.7 million) from 1.59 billion rupees in the previous session.

* The data showed that Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 61.8 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 781 million rupees.