Shares log 2nd straight week of losses

Sri Lankan shares closed marginally up on Friday but logged their second straight week of losses, as gains in health care stocks offset declines in communications services.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.14% higher at 23801.96 points.

Health care ‌stocks were ‌up ⁠1.89%; ​Communications ‌Services stocks were down 1.22%

ACME Printing and Packaging and Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) were the top percentage gainers on the index, up 50% and 25%, respectively, ⁠on the day.

Trading volume ‌on the index fell ‍to 311.1 ‍million shares from 441.2 million ‍in the previous session.

Equity market turnover dipped to 9.09 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($29.38 million) from 11.11 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 2.51 billion rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 8.88 billion rupees, the data showed.