Sri Lanka, March 30 -- The Colombo Stock Exchange commenced the week on a negative note on 30th March 2026, with the ASPI declining by 283 points amid heightened volatility. The index fell sharply by 337 points within the first hour of trading, driven by negative sentiment carried over from the weekend. Although some buying interest emerged during the session-recovering nearly one-third of the losses-the market failed to sustain momentum and trended downward again towards the close.

The downturn was largely attributed to deteriorating investor sentiment, influenced by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the announcement of a significant electricity tariff hike. Coupled with ongoing global uncertainty and the absence ...