(Reuters) - Sri Lankan stocks extended their gains for a sixth straight session on Thursday, ending near a three-week closing high, helped by blue-chips and foreign buying.
Sri Lanka's main stock index ended up 0.39 percent, or 28.51 points, at 7,294.41, its highest close since Oct. 10.
Net foreign inflows on Thursday were at 761 million rupees ($5.8 million), extending the year-to-date foreign inflows to 13.09 billion rupees worth of shares, exchange data showed.
Analysts said retail participation was still poor due to the lower-than-expected stimulus in the budget, while the market awaited further clarity.
Stockbrokers said trading may be volatile in the near-term due to the revised presidential poll schedule and a possible bottoming out of interest rates.
Rajapaksa, also the country's finance minister, unveiled a budget last week that sought to trim value-added tax and cut the deficit while providing a range of handouts, mainly for rural communities.
The 68-year-old leader will seek early re-election in January, seeking to pre-empt any decline in support after nearly nine years in power.
The day's turnover was 2.2 billion rupees, well above this year's daily average of 1.36 billion rupees.
Top conglomerate John Keells Holdings led the day's gains with a rise of 2.1 percent, while Sri Lanka Telecom Plc added 2.2 percent.
($1 = 130.8000 Sri Lankan rupee)
Sri Lanka's main stock index ended up 0.39 percent, or 28.51 points, at 7,294.41, its highest close since Oct. 10.
Net foreign inflows on Thursday were at 761 million rupees ($5.8 million), extending the year-to-date foreign inflows to 13.09 billion rupees worth of shares, exchange data showed.
Analysts said retail participation was still poor due to the lower-than-expected stimulus in the budget, while the market awaited further clarity.
Stockbrokers said trading may be volatile in the near-term due to the revised presidential poll schedule and a possible bottoming out of interest rates.
Rajapaksa, also the country's finance minister, unveiled a budget last week that sought to trim value-added tax and cut the deficit while providing a range of handouts, mainly for rural communities.
The 68-year-old leader will seek early re-election in January, seeking to pre-empt any decline in support after nearly nine years in power.
The day's turnover was 2.2 billion rupees, well above this year's daily average of 1.36 billion rupees.
Top conglomerate John Keells Holdings led the day's gains with a rise of 2.1 percent, while Sri Lanka Telecom Plc added 2.2 percent.
($1 = 130.8000 Sri Lankan rupee)
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)
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