Sri Lankan shares ended at a record high on Thursday, led by gains in industrial and financial stocks.

* The benchmark stock index closed 3.13% higher at 8,131.25. The index has now notched 16 sessions of gains out of 17 sessions.

* Trading volume on the CSE All Share Index rose to 377.65 million from 287.96 million in the previous session.

* Holding companies Lanka ORIX Leasing Company Plc and Hayleys Plc were the top boosts to the index, gaining 24.3% and 32.3%, respectively.

* Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading 601.4 million rupees ($3.08 million) worth of shares, according to exchange data.

* Sri Lanka's national consumer price inflation rose 4.6% in December 2020 from a year earlier, compared with a 5.2% rise in the previous month, data from the statistics department showed. 

* The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 195.5 against the U.S. dollar as of 11:51 GMT, 0.26% weaker for the day compared to last session's close of 195, according to Refinitiv data.

* Equity market turnover was 14.20 billion rupees, exchange data showed.

($1 = 195.5000 Sri Lankan rupees)

(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) ((AnuronKumar.Mitra@thomsonreuters.com; +91 99863 58469;))