Sri Lanka stocks close down 0.8-pc

Dec 14, 2010 (LBO) - Sri Lankan stocks closed down Tuesday with index heavy stocks like JKH and Dialog Axiata dragging the market down, brokers said.

Turnover was 1.25 billion rupees.

"Hardly any high-net-worth and institutional participation was seen in the market with some retail trading taking place," Sahani De Silva of Bartleet Mallory Stockbrokers said.

JKH closed at 293.90, down 1.60 rupees and Dialog Axiata closed at 11.

40, down 0.20 cents with almost a million shares done.

Sampath Bank closed at 256.40, down 4.50 with over 1.5 million shares changing hands in two crossings or off-the floor private deals, one of 1.

4 million shares done at 265.00 and the other of 100,000 at 255.00. The All Share Price Index closed at 6,385.

60, down 0.80 percent (51.22 points) while the Milanka index of liquid stocks dipped 0.77 percent (52.83 points) to close at 6,842.72, according to Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) provisional figures.