Sri Lanka stocks reached a new record closing high on Wednesday in the market's busiest trading day so far this year as local investors bought key blue chip shares, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index jumped 0.8 percent or 12.7 points, to 1,589.7, surpassing the previous record close set last month and taking the gain for the market this year to 5.3 percent. But volumes were relatively thin.
The Milanka index - which tracks the most liquid and highly capitalised stocks - ended up by a provisional 1.49 percent, or 32.27 points, to 2,205.33 points.
Diversified conglomerate John Keells Holdings Ltd rose 1.83 percent, to 125.25 rupees a share on foreign investor buying.
Shares of blue chip Hayleys Ltd shot up by 5.93 percent to 143.00 rupees a share.
Building contractors and engineering services provider Lankem Developments Ltd ended up by 14.75 percent at 17.50 rupees a share.
"The investors now know that the tsunami did not have that much of an impact on the economy so they are back in the market," said Hussain Gani, Assistant Manager of John Keells Stock Brokers.
The Colombo bourse sank more than 4.0 percent in the immediate aftermath of the December 26 tsunami but recovered during the first week of January once the full extent of the damage became clear.
Total market turnover was a provisional 272.3 million rupees with foreign purchases of 42 million rupees and foreign sales of 32 million rupees.