CSE falls to 8 year low

Colombo (News 1st) - The Colombo Stock Market fell to an eight-year low today, recording one of the biggest one day falls due to continued foreign selling amid the global market turmoil fuelled by Coronavirus fears. The benchmark all share index plunged 4.14 percent or 221.24 points to close at 5,121.9, its lowest since August 29, 2012. The trading of the Colombo Stock Exchange was halted for 30-minutes in early trade after the S and P 20 Index of liquid shares fell 5-percent soon after opening. The S&P SL20 Index of most liquid stocks closed 4.75 percent or 117.86 points down at 2,361.75. The Colombo stock market fell 16 percent so far this year and 8.4 percent from February. Market turnover over was 1.34 billion rupees.