Sri Lankan shares slump as country sees highest single-day COVID-19 death toll

Aug 12 (Reuters) – Sri Lankan shares ended more than 1% lower on Thursday, weighed down by losess in industrial and financial stocks, and as the island nation suffered its highest single-day death toll due to COVID-19.

* The CSE All-Share index ended 1.42% lower at 7,980.91.

* Conglomerates LOLC Holdings and Expolanka Holdings Plc were the top drags on the index, falling 3% and 2.4%, respectively.

* The island-nation reported here 124 deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day death toll so far, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,464.

* Cases rose by 2,987 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed cases to 342,079.

* Data here from Johns Hopkins university showed the country had fully vaccinated about 12.74% of its population so far.

* Trading volume on the exchange rose to 208.4 million shares from 121.4 million shares in the previous session.

* Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 485.3 million rupees ($2.44 million), exchange data showed here.

* The equity market’s turnover was 4.14 billion rupees, according to the exchange data.

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