Sri Lanka Stock Market up 15-pct by April 2015: Report

July 08, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main stock index showed an increase of 15.3 percent by end April 2015 in comparison to the same period last year, a recent Finance Ministry report said. “All Share Price Index (ASPI) reached 7,179 by end of April 2015, which is an increase of 15.3 percent in comparison to the same period in 2014,” 2015 mid-year fiscal responsibility report said. “The S&P SL 20 Index recorded an 18.6 percent increase by end April 2015.” The report said, the stock market regained its momentum during the first four months of 2015 benefiting from low interest rates and enhanced investor confidence. The annual turnover rose by 8.1 percent to 80 billion rupees during the first four months of 2015 in comparison to the corresponding period of the previous year, it said. Meanwhile, market capitalization expanded by 17 percent to 3,049 billion in comparison to the 14 percent growth recorded during the corresponding period of 2014 due to the favorable economic conditions that stimulated investments. “Foreign purchases recorded a 16.1 percent growth during first four months of 2015 whereas the foreign sales declined by 24.4 percent to 22,852 million rupees in this period.”