Sept 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares ended higher for a second straight session on Wednesday, following a market holiday on Tuesday, with consumer staples stocks contributing to over half of the session's gains.
** The benchmark CSE All Share Index closed 0.58% higher at 5,359.99.
** Browns Investments Plc, a firm that invests in the agriculture sector, gained 13.04%, while plantation manager Carson Cumberbatch Plc rose 12.64%, among the session's top boosts.
** The island nation's most valuable stock John Keells Holdings Plc fell 0.8% and was the biggest drag.
** Trading volume on the CSE All Share Index fell to 144.9 million, from 70.1 million in the previous session.
** Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading 686.5 million Sri Lankan rupees ($3.71 million) worth of shares.
** Equity market turnover was 1.79 billion Sri Lankan rupees, exchange data showed.
** The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 185.20 against the dollar, according to Refinitiv data.
($1 = 185.2000 Sri Lankan rupees)
(Reporting by Derek Francis; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) ((derek.francis@thomsonreuters.com))
