The Colombo Bourse experienced a volatile session today, opening with a sharp decline during the first hour of trading as investors engaged in profit-taking.

The market subsequently attempted to recover, with buying interest briefly supporting an upward movement, before renewed selling pressure triggered further volatility and pushed both indices into negative territory by the close.

The ASPI fell by 90 points to close at 22,033, while the S&P SL20 declined 19 points to close at 6,349. The top negative contributors to the ASPI were HNB, OSEA, CINS, COMB and HAYL.

HNW and retail participation moderated compared to the previous session, while turnover also declined from yesterday’s elevated levels but remained relatively high on an average basis.

Overall, the session reflected continued profit-taking following the recent strong market gains. Daily turnover stood at LKR 4.8Bn, marking an increase of 137.5% over the monthly average of LKR 2.0Bn.

Banking sector led the daily turnover with a share of 25%, followed by the Materials, and Capital Goods sectors collectively contributing 34%. Foreign investors turned net buyers, posting a net inflow of LKR 46.4Mn.

BOND MARKET

Long-end yields see a modest pullback

Extending the positivity seen in the secondary market yesterday, the yields at long-end of the yield curve slightly dropped today. T-Bill yields remained broadly stable amid the weekly auction conducted today, while the overall market was characterized by moderate volumes.

Within the 2030 segment, 01.08.2030 and 15.10.2030 traded from 11.05% to 11.10%. Moving ahead, 01.12.2031 and 15.12.2032 traded at 11.15% and 11.55% respectively.

At the belly end, 01.11.2033 and 15.10.2034 changed hands at 11.78% and 11.95% respectively. Finally, the long-dated 15.08.2036 bond was dealt at 12.10%.

Today, the PDMO concluded its weekly T-Bill auction, raising LKR 79.1Bn, below the initial offer amount of LKR 90.0Bn. For the 3M T-Bill, LKR 40.0Bn was initially offered, while LKR 54.1Bn was accepted. The weighted average yield rate (WAYR) stood flat at 9.35%.

For the 6M T-Bill, the PDMO accepted only LKR 11.1Bn against an offered amount of LKR 30.0Bn, with the WAYR declining by 1bp to 9.43%. For the 12M T-Bill, LKR 13.9Bn was accepted, which was below the offered amount, while the WAYR remained unchanged at 9.95%.

On the external front, the LKR appreciated against the USD, standing at LKR 332.35/USD, compared to LKR 332.56/USD seen previously.

CBSL is yet to release the overnight liquidity data for 11th November 2026.

-First Capital Research-