Sri Lankan shares end higher as financials, industrials gain

Sri Lankan shares ended higher on Thursday to extend gains for a second session, boosted by advances in financial and industrial stocks.

* The benchmark stock index ended 1.95% higher at 7,736.36.

* Lanka Orix Leasing company rose 18.4% to be the biggest boost on the index, followed by gains of 16% and 2.4% in Browns Investmentand conglomerate John Keells Holdings, respectively.

* Trading volume on the CSE All Share Index rose to 123.5 million from 113.7 million in the previous session.

* Foreign investors were net sellers, off-loading 203.8 million Sri Lankan rupees ($1.05 million) worth of shares, according to exchange data.

* Equity market turnover was 3.35 billion Sri Lankan rupees, data showed.

 

($1 = 194.5000 Sri Lankan rupees)

(Reporting by Philip George in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) ((P.george@thomsonreuters.com))