📈 Sri Lanka Stocks Open Higher as Banks Lead Turnover

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) opened on a positive note on Friday, driven by gains in key commercial and diversified shares. • Overall Indices • ASPI: Up 0.29% (+59.43 points) to 20,326.58 • S&P SL20: Up 0.52% (+30.01 points) to 5,803.93 • Total market turnover stood at Rs. 222.28 Mn, with banking sector stocks leading liquidity at Rs. 98.90 Mn. • Market Movers • Top Gainers: LOLC Finance (+4.44% to Rs. 4.70), Distilleries Co. (+0.92% to Rs. 55.00), John Keells Holdings (+0.55% to Rs. 18.20), and Hatton National Bank (+0.33% to Rs. 384.00). • Top Losers: Asiri Hospital (-2.72%), Richard Pieris (-2.66%), ACL Cables (-1.66%), Royal Ceramics (-1.38%), and Sunshine Holdings (-1.37%). • Corporate Updates • Poultry/Agriculture: Bairaha Farms PLC reported a 49.7% YoY fall in net profit to Rs. 213.7 Mn for the Sep 2026 quarter, impacted by higher taxes, finance costs, and raw material pressures (commodity levy on corn doubling to Rs. 50/kg). • Plantations: Watawala Plantations PLC declared a first interim dividend of Rs. 0.80 per share for FY2026/27 (XD date: Nov 9).