Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- The Colombo Stock Exchange witnessed a volatile trading session today, with the ASPI initially slipping nearly 150 points on the back of profit-taking before staging a late recovery. Despite the rebound, the ASPI closed almost flat, posting a marginal gain of 0.69 points to end at 20,715.49. The S&P SL20 advanced 3.49 points (+0.06%) to close at 6,108.49. Market activity remained strong, with a turnover of LKR 10.52 Bn and 378.30 Mn shares traded. Crossings contributed significantly, accounting for LKR 2.85 Bn (27% of total turnover), led by HNB.N with LKR 1.08 Bn.

Sector-wise, the Consumer Services sector dominated activity, contributing nearly 16.50% to overall turnover. Investor sentiment was broadly mixed, with ...