Colombo Stock Exchange Temporarily Halts Trading

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) temporarily suspended regular trading today after the S&P SL20 index fell by more than 5 percent from the previous close, triggering a market halt. The market was halted for a 30-minute period as a precautionary measure, with regular trading resuming at 10:21 a.m.

Trading was initially paused from 9:51 a.m. to 10:07 a.m., lasting for 16 minutes. Following this, an Auction Session was held from 10:07 a.m. to 10:21 a.m., lasting 14 minutes, before normal trading resumed.

At the time of the halt, the S&P SL20 index had dropped by 240.45 points, or 5.3%, bringing it down to 4,292.90. Meanwhile, the All Share Price Index (ASPI) also saw a significant decline of 4.16%, or 639.01 points, reaching 14,734.34.

This event highlights the volatile conditions currently affecting the market, which has prompted regulators to take immediate action to stabilize trading.