Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) closed 26 minutes before its official ending time on Monday after one of the indices plunged more than 5 percent led by market heavyweights, the official data showed.
“Please note that the market has been halted due to the S&P SL20 index dropping over 5% from the previous close, as set out in SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) Directive dated 30th April 2020. Accordingly, the market has been halted for the rest of the day,” the CSE said in a statement.
Market heavyweight Expolanka fell 9.3 percent while Lanka IOC slipped 5.2 percent, leading the index fall.
The main All Share Price Index (ASPI) fell 3.8 percent while more liquid S&P SL20 dropped 4.9 percent when the market was halted.