The Sri Lanka rupee closed a shade weaker on Thursday as a state bank bought dollars and some exporters sold the US currency, dealers said. The rupee closed at 101.35/101.36 (buy/sell) against the dollar compared to Wednesday's 101.33/101.35.
"We saw a state bank on the buying side... Most of the market was on the selling side, so a state bank was basically supporting the dollar," said one Colombo-based dealer.
"We did see some exporters converting some dollars today," he added.
Investors are betting main opposition leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will win a November 17 presidential election, and continue to watch for any fresh signs of a party policy rift overshadowing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse's bid.
Call money rates transacted in the brokers' market were at 10.166 percent.