Sri Lankan shares rose for a second straight session on Friday as foreign investors bought into risky assets with some improvements in the communal violence-hit district of Kandy. Police said on Thursday it had arrested the suspected leader and nine others suspects behind a wave of anti-Muslim attacks by Sinhalese Buddhist hardliners in the central highlands region this week.
The Colombo stock index ended 0.46 percent firmer at 6,551.19. Turnover was 868.9 million rupees ($5.59 million), less than this year's daily average of around 950 million rupees. Foreign investors bought a net 61.3 million rupees worth of shares on Friday, extending the year-to-date net foreign inflow to 6.1 billion rupees worth of equities so far this year.