The Bourse ended the week on a negative note as the ASPI decreased by 22.20 points (or -0.38 percent) to close at 5,771.69 points, while the S&P SL20 Index also decreased by 2.05 points (or -0.07 percent) to close at 2,764.01 points.
Turnover & market capitalization
JKH was the highest contributor to the week’s turnover value, contributing LKR 0.46Bn or 27.49 percent of the total turnover value. Browns Investments followed suit, accounting for 9.98 percent of turnover (value of LKR 0.17Bn) while Cargills contributed LKR 0.10Bn to account for 6.00 percent of the week’s turnover. Total turnover value amounted to LKR 1.66Bn (cf. last week’s value of LKR 7.05Bn), while daily average turnover value amounted to LKR 0.33Bn (-76.49 percent W-o-W) compared to last week’s average of LKR 1.41Bn. Market capitalization meanwhile, decreased by 0.38 percent W-o-W (or LKR 10.48Bn) to LKR 2,725.01Bn cf. LKR 2,735.50Bn last week.
Liquidity (in value terms)
The Diversified sector was the highest contributor to the week’s total turnover value, accounting for 43.47 percent (or LKR 0.72Bn) of market turnover. Sector turnover was driven primarily by JKH, Browns Investments & Hemas Holdings which accounted for 96.39 percent of the sector’s total turnover. The Bank, Finance & Insurance sector meanwhile accounted for 29.79 percent (or LKR 0.49Bn) of the total turnover value, with turnover driven primarily by Nations Trust, Pan Asia, NDB, Sampath Bank & Union Bank which accounted for 72.49 percent of the sector turnover. The Beverage, Food & Tobacco sector was also amongst the top sectorial contributors, contributing 6.75 percent (or LKR 0.11Bn) to the total turnover, with turnover driven primarily by Cargills accounting for 88.93 percent of the total turnover.
Liquidity (in volume terms)
The Diversified sector dominated the market in terms of share volume, accounting for 46.99 percent (or 43.29Mn shares) of total volume, with a value contribution of LKR 0.72Bn.
The Banks, Finance & Insurance sector followed suit, adding 20.09 percent to total turnover volume as 18.51Mn shares were exchanged.
The sector’s volume accounted for LKR 0.49Bn of total market turnover value.
The Power & Energy sector meanwhile, contributed 4.89Mn shares (or 5.31 percent), amounting to LKR 0.02Bn.
Dividend announcements
Company DPS (Rs.) Type XD Date: Dipped Products 0.50 First Interim 08-10-2019 LOTUS HYDRO 0.80 First Interim 07-10-2019 AMANA Bank 0.08 First Interim 11-10-2019
For August: Prime Lending Rate 10.69 percent, Ave. Wtd. Deposit Rates 8.73 percent, Ave. Wtd. Fixed Dep. Rates 10.74 percent, CCPI Inflation Y-o-Y percent (Base 2013) 3.4 percent
Top gainers & losers
Tess Agro[NV] was the week’s highest price gainer; increasing 25.0 percent W-o-W from LKR0.40 to LKR0.50 while Lotus Hydro(+22.2 percent W-o-W), Kelsey Developments (+14.6 percent W-o-W) and Lanka Aluminium (+14.0 percent W-o-W) were also amongst the top gainers. On’ally was the week’s highest price loser; declining 38.4 percent W-o-W to close at LKR22.30 while Blue Diamonds[NV] (-33.3 percent W-o-W), Fort Land (-16.9 percent W-o-W) and Equity Two (-12.7 percent W-o-W) were also amongst the top losers over the week.
Foreign investors closed the week in a net selling position with total net outflow amounting to LKR 0.39Bn relative to last week’s total net outflow of LKR 0.30Bn (-28.82 percent W-o-W).
Total foreign purchases decreased by 96.62 percent W-o-W to LKR 0.17Bn from last week’s value of LKR 5.09Bn, while total foreign sales amounted to LKR 0.56Bn relative to LKR 5.40Bn recorded last week (-89.54 percent W-o-W). In terms of volume, Dialog Axiata & Nations Trust led foreign purchases while JKH & Hemas Holdings led foreign sales. In terms of value, Nations Trust and Dialog Axiata led foreign purchases while JKH & Hemas Holdings led foreign sales.
Point of view
Equity markets closed in the red yet again this week as Index losses early in the week failed to be offset by macro-economic and political developments later in the week. The broad share ASPI lost ~50 index points on Monday & Tuesday as last week’s bearish sentiment continued to dominate the market activity. Macro-economic developments such as the CBSL’s imposition of caps on Bank lending rates and the IMF’s approval of the 6th tranche of its $1.5Bn EFF facility along with political developments such as the announcement of the main political party’s Presidential candidate and news of impeachment proceedings on the US president meanwhile resulted in the benchmark index gaining ~29 points on Wednesday & Thursday.
The gains failed to offset the Index’s early losses, and the ASPI consequently closed the week 22 index points (0.4 percent W-o-W) lower. Average daily turnover levels meanwhile fell from last week’s 9-week high, falling 76.5 percent W-o-W (to Rs.0.33Bn) as the one-off impact from last week’s strategic transaction in OSEA waned. Crossings for the week (25 percent of total market turnover) also fell from last week’s high (75 percent of total turnover) as the one-off impact from the OSEA transaction eased. Compared to last week when OSEA accounted for 84 percent of crossings (and 62 percent of total market turnover), crossings this week were dominated by JKH which accounted for 88 percent of total crossings and 22 percent of total market turnover.
Foreign investor interest in Sri Lankan equities regained momentum over the latter half of the week, as news that US lawmakers would initiate an impeachment inquiry on President Trump fueled concerns of political instability in the world’s largest economy and revived appetite for riskier EM/FM assets. Despite the mid-week buying interest, foreign investors closed the week in a net selling position. Markets in the week ahead are likely to take cues from developments on the political stage.
July trade deficit widens…
Sri Lanka’s trade deficit in Jul’19 widened for the 1st time this year as exports fell at a faster pace than imports during the month. However, the cumulative 7M trade deficit remained ~32.5 percent lower than that of 7M’18 as the Jan-Jul’19 trade deficit contracted to $4.3Bn (cf. deficit of $6.4Bn in Jan-Jul18). The decline July exports (to $999Mn in Jul’19 from $1.1Bn in Jul’18) was largely due to a drop in earnings from petroleum products and reflected the impact of lower bunker fuel prices despite an increase in volumes and a higher base effect of other 
Earnings from tourism almost halved in Jul’19 to $0.2Bn relative to $0.4Bn last year which led tourist receipts to fall ~19 percent Y-o-Y over Jan-Jul’19. Meanwhile, workers’ remittances improved marginally by 1.0 percent Y-o-Y to $0.6Bn in Jul’19 but declined 8.2 percent Y-o-Y to $4Bn during Jan-Jul’19. In terms of financial flows, the CSE recorded a net inflow of $44Mn in Jul’19 primarily due to a transaction which involved LOLC Holdings selling its shares in LOLC Finance to its Singaporean subsidiary.
The transaction helped convert the net foreign position on the Colombo Bourse between Jan-Jul’19 to a net inflow of $34Mn. However, the foreign outflows from G-Secs continued to remain, with markets recording a net outflow of $129Mn during 7M’19. Gross official reserves at the end of Jul’19 meanwhile stood at $8.3Bn while the LKR appreciated ~0.5 percent against the USD having lost most of its value post the Easter Sunday terror attacks and due to the recent exit of foreign investors from government securities.
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