Sri Lanka, July 24 -- The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) closed lower on Friday as early buying interest gave way to profit-taking in several index-heavy counters, pushing both benchmark indices into negative territory by the end of the session. While the market opened on a positive note with broad-based buying across counters, selling pressure intensified during the latter half of trading, erasing the morning's gains.

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) declined by 26.63 points (-0.13%) to close at 21,172.74, while the S&P SL20 Index fell 3.31 points (-0.06%) to 5,942.56. Total market turnover amounted to LKR 2.45 billion, with 93.56 million shares changing hands.

Despite the weaker close, investor sentiment remained mixed, with healthy pa...