(Reuters) - Sri Lankan stocks slipped on Monday from a more than three-year high hit in the previous session, led by a decline in shares of large-caps such as Ceylon Tobacco Co Plc and Nestle Lanka Plc.
Analysts said low interest rates and continued foreign buying into risky assets boosted sentiment.
The main stock index fell 0.05 percent, or 3.20 points, to close at 7,030.89.
The index has gained nearly 19 percent so far this year.
"The market is generally holding on with a bit of profit-taking here and there. Hopefully, September could see another rally," said a stockbroker asking not to be named.
The bourse has been in an overbought region since July. The Relative Strength Index, a momentum indicator tracked by chartists, was at 74.825 on Monday, Thomson Reuters data showed. Stocks are deemed "overbought" above the 70 mark, which tends to signal a reversal in the near term.
Ceylon Tobacco Co Plc, which led the overall fall in the index, fell 1.44 percent to 1,180 rupees, while Nestle Lanka Plc fell 2.23 percent to 2,100 rupees.
Monday's turnover stood at 1.04 billion rupees ($8 million), slightly below this year's daily average of 1.2 billion rupees.
Foreign investors were net buyers of 34.9 million rupees worth of shares on Monday, extending the year-to-date net foreign inflows to 8.24 billion rupees.
Analysts said low interest rates and continued foreign buying into risky assets boosted sentiment.
The main stock index fell 0.05 percent, or 3.20 points, to close at 7,030.89.
The index has gained nearly 19 percent so far this year.
"The market is generally holding on with a bit of profit-taking here and there. Hopefully, September could see another rally," said a stockbroker asking not to be named.
The bourse has been in an overbought region since July. The Relative Strength Index, a momentum indicator tracked by chartists, was at 74.825 on Monday, Thomson Reuters data showed. Stocks are deemed "overbought" above the 70 mark, which tends to signal a reversal in the near term.
Ceylon Tobacco Co Plc, which led the overall fall in the index, fell 1.44 percent to 1,180 rupees, while Nestle Lanka Plc fell 2.23 percent to 2,100 rupees.
Monday's turnover stood at 1.04 billion rupees ($8 million), slightly below this year's daily average of 1.2 billion rupees.
Foreign investors were net buyers of 34.9 million rupees worth of shares on Monday, extending the year-to-date net foreign inflows to 8.24 billion rupees.
($1 = 130.1600 Sri Lankan rupee)
(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)
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