Sri Lankan shares recorded their best quarter since September 2010, with the main index closing at a record high on Thursday, as massive liquidity due to the low interest-rate environment and strong retail participation boosted stocks.
* The CSE All-Share index ended 0.28% higher at 9,459.94 points. The index rose 20.7% for the quarter and 5.14% for the month.
* Conglomerates Expolanka Holdings Plc and John Keells Holdings were the top boosts to the index, rising 2.6% and 3.75%, respectively.
** Sri Lanka's consumer prices rose 0.4% month-on-month in September, after 0.3% rise in August, according to the country's statistics department.
* The equity market's turnover was about 6.94 billion rupees, according to stock exchange data.
* Trading volume on the exchange rose to 284.5 million shares from 238.4 million shares in the previous session.
* Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth about 577.2 million rupees, as per exchange data.
* The island nation reported 941 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 516,465.
* It reported 61 fatalities due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 12,847, health bureau data showed.
* About 53.67% of the country's entire population is fully vaccinated so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
(Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V) ((Sethuraman.NR@thomsonreuters.com; (+91 8061822737); Reuters Messaging: nallur.sethuraman.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
