The Bourse ended the week on a positive note as the ASPI increased by 49.89 points (or +0.83%) to close at 6,069.22 points, while the S&P SL20 Index also increased by 15.48 points (or +0.49%) to close at 3,193.99 points.
Turnover and market capitalization
JKH was the highest contributor to the week’s turnover value, contributing LKR 1.36Bn or 44.17% of total turnover value. Sampath Bank followed suit, accounting for 12.05% of turnover (value of LKR 0.37Bn) while Janashakthi Insurance contributed LKR 0.19Bn to account for 6.23% of the week’s turnover.
Total turnover value amounted to LKR 3.07Bn (cf. last week’s value of LKR 3.78Bn), while daily average turnover value amounted to LKR 0.61Bn (-18.65% W-o-W) compared to last week’s average of LKR 0.76Mn. Market capitalization meanwhile, increased by +0.83% W-o-W (or LKR 23.41Bn) to LKR 2,847.35Bn cf. LKR 2,823.95Bn last week.
Liquidity (in value terms)
The Diversified sector was the highest contributor to the week’s total turnover value, accounting for 45.26% (or LKR 1.39Bn) of market turnover. Sector turnover was driven primarily JKH which accounted for 97.58% of the sector’s total turnover.
The Banks, Finance & Insurance sector meanwhile accounted for 36.66% (or LKR 1.13Bn) of the total turnover value, with turnover driven primarily by Sampath Bank, Janashakthi Insurance, HNB, Seylan Bank [NV], and Orient Finance which accounted for 75.45% of the sector turnover.
The Beverage, Food & Tobacco sector was also amongst the top sectorial contributors, contributing 5.60% (or LKR 0.17Bn) to the market driven by Lion Brewery which accounted for 78.60% of the sector turnover.
Liquidity (in volume terms)
The Banks, Finance & Insurance sector dominated the market in terms of share volume, accounting for 47.62% (or 49.19Mn shares) of total volume, with a value contribution of LKR 1.13Bn.
The Diversified sector followed suit, adding 12.96% to total turnover volume as 13.39Mn shares were exchanged. The sector’s volume accounted for LKR 1.39Bn of total market turnover value.
The Power & Energy sector meanwhile, contributed 9.91Mn shares (or 9.59%), amounting to LKR 0.05Bn.
Top gainers and losers 
AIA Insurance was the week’s highest price gainer; increasing 27.2% W-o-W from LKR990.0 to LKR1, 259.30 while SMB Leasing (+25.0% W-o-W), Tess Agro [NV] (+25.0% W-o-W) and Blue Diamonds (+20.0% W-o-W) were also amongst the top gainers.
Blue Diamonds [NV] was the week’s highest price loser; declining 33.3% W-o-W to close at LKR0.20 while Equity Two (-23.0% W-o-W), Hunters (-18.8% W-o-W), and Renuka City Hotel (-15.1% W-o-W) were also amongst the top losers over the week.
Foreign investors closed the week in a net selling position with total net outflow amounting to LKR 0.93Bn relative to last week’s total net outflow of LKR 0.80Bn (-16.7% W-o-W).
Total foreign purchases decreased by 25.0% W-o-W to LKR 0.74Bn from last week’s value of LKR 0. 0.99Bn, while total foreign sales amounted to LKR 1.67Bn relative to LKR 1.79Bn recorded last week (-6.4% W-o-W).
In terms of volume, Vidullanka & Seylan Bank [NV] led foreign purchases while JKH & Access Engineering led foreign sales. In terms of value, Seylan Bank [NV] & Vidullanka led foreign purchases while JKH & Lion Brewery led foreign sales.
Point of view
Markets remained mixed this week with the benchmark ASPI hitting a one-week low as international credit rating agencies S&P and Fitch Ratings downgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating citing the country’s protracted political stalemate.
This week’s downgrade came on the heels of a similar credit downgrade on Nov 20th when Moody’s downgraded Sri Lanka for the 1st time since it started rating the country in 2010. The benchmark ASPI lost ~28 points following the downgrades early in the week, pushing the Index below the key 6000-mark to hit a low of 5997.23 points.
The Index however gained in the subsequent days, gaining ~72 points as the resumption of Supreme Court hearings regarding the dissolution of Parliament continued over the week.
Turnover levels too remained in broadly in line with that of last week, averaging Rs. 3.1Bn over the week relative to last week (Rs.3.8Bn) as Local Institutional and HNI investors continued to pick up undervalued stocks.
Local institutions and HNIs accounted for ~36% of total market activity (cf. ~48% in the last two weeks) with buying interest mainly focused on heavy-weight JKH (~40% of the total crossings) and banking sector stocks (~47% of total crossings in Sampath Bank, HNB and Seylan Bank).
Foreign investors meanwhile, continued to remain net sellers this week as well, with the sell-off on domestic equities amounting to Rs. 929Mn relative to last week’s net selling of Rs. 796Mn.
The foreign equity sell-off on Sri Lanka equities has heightened drastically since the political upheaval on Oct 26th, with net selling in the 7 weeks between Oct’26-to date totaling Rs.10Bn, in line with the net sell-off of Rs.9Bn recorded in the 91/2 months to Oct’26.
Markets in the week ahead are likely to remain influenced by domestic political developments, especially the pending Supreme Court decisions.
S&P and Fitch Ratings downgrade Sri Lanka
Ratings agencies S&P and Fitch Ratings downgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating this week (from ‘B+’ (Stable) to ‘B’ (Stable)) citing heightened external financing risks on the back of the political crisis stemming from the sudden dismissal of the country’s Prime Minister on Oct’26.
The credit rating agencies added that the risk of a slowdown/delay in fiscal and economic reforms also underlies its rationale for the downgrade.
Both agencies noted though that its outlook for the sovereign is ‘stable’, with S&P adding that the cyclical recovery in the economy is likely to continue (as weather-related disruptions dissipate) while the GoSL is able to meet its 2019 debt repayments and with Fitch estimating a recovery in growth supported by remittances, a recovery in the Agriculture sector and, construction activity from commercial, real-estate and infrastructure projects.
The CBSL meanwhile countered the international credit rating agency downgrades, adding a rating downgrade based only on the “premise of heightened political uncertainty” is unwarranted, especially since there is “no evidence of slippages in macroeconomic policies or fundamentals”.
The CBSL added that the soundness of the country’s underlying macroeconomic conditions is reinforced by the fact that a staff-level agreement (at the 5th review of the IMF’s EFF program) was reached in principle on Oct’26th just prior to the sudden political upheaval.
The CBSL added that it expects to more than cover all ISB payments due in 2019 both due to the space provided under the Active Liability Management initiative and from proceeds from the divestment of non-strategic assets, syndicated loans, FX Swap facilities with SAARC, enhanced credit lines with the Middle East and disbursements from bilateral and multilateral agencies.
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