Sri Lankan stocks closed slightly lower for the fifth straight session on Friday as small investors skimmed profits and foreign investors largely stayed away looking for market direction, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index fell a provisional 0.17 percent, or 3.01 points, to 1,724.86 points. The bourse has gained more than 14 percent so far this year on upbeat corporate earnings and gains in construction sector shares seen benefiting from post-tsunami reconstruction.
"The trend is still on the downward," said one local broker. "The volume still is 500 (million rupees) plus, so the volume is looking OK," he added. "But it is still looking for direction."
Bluechip conglomerate Aitken Spence and Company Ltd was down by 0.53 percent, at 378.00 rupees a share and bourse heavyweight, conglomerate John Keells Holdings Ltd ended unchanged at 136.00 rupees a share.
Retail fuel giant Lanka IOC Ltd fell 1.52 percent, to 48.75 rupees a share.
The Milanka index - which tracks the most liquid and highly capitalised stocks - fell a provisional 0.5 percent, or 11.54 points, to 2,309.86 points.
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