Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Tuesday, aided by consumer staples and financials stocks.

* The CSE All-Share index settled 0.42% higher at 12,362.95.

* Sri Lanka's key inflation rate rose to 1.5% year-on-year in April from 0.9% in March, the statistics department said on Tuesday.

* Food prices rose 2.9% in April from 3.8% in March, the Department of Census and Statistics said.

* Prices of non-food items rose 0.9% in April from 0.5% in March, with prices remaining low due to a 22% reduction in power tariffs for households implemented in March.

* Lion Brewery Plc and Browns Investment Plc were the top gainers on the index, up 5.7% and 4.7%, respectively.

* Trading volume on the index rose to 167.1 million shares from 166.7 million shares in the previous session.

* The equity market's turnover fell to 3.84 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($12.9 million) from 4.14 million rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

* Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 518.7 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 3.73 billion rupees, the data showed.

* For a report on global markets, click ($1 = 297.2500 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)


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