CSE records billions while people saddled with unbearable cost of living

COLOMBO (News1st): The Colombo Stock Exchange gained 1.69 percent on Wednesday reporting a turnover of more than Rs 14.4 billion. LOLC Holdings PLC's market capitalization topped 247 billion rupees today, after its share price soared by 24.93 percent to close at Rs. 521 and 25 cents per share. LOLC Holdings currently tops as the most valuable listed company in terms of Market Capitalization, followed by John Keells Holdings and Ceylon Tobacco. The most number of active trades was reported from Expolanka today, followed by Vallibel One and LOLC Holdings. Today’s top gainers were Vallibel Finance, LB Finance, LOLC Holdings, Vallibel One and Lanka Ceramic PLC. The top losers were Industrial Asphalts, York Arcade Holdings, Hunters & Company, Gestetner of Ceylon, and Paragon Ceylon. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported today that Sri Lanka topped the list for the best stock rally in the world, with a world-beating 30% so far in 2021 as domestic investors got more active. While Sri Lanka's stock market continues to break fresh records each passing day, our correspondents met with farmers whose harvests have been destroyed, leaving them helpless. Black gram farmers in Pahalamaragahawewa, Wilpaththuwa, Katupaththewa, Thalgaswewa, and Nochchiyagama say that their harvest for the season has been affected due to incessant rains. They lament that authorities do not offer them compensation for the damages faced by their crops. Paddy cultivations of the Horombawa, Dangolla and Kadahapola villages in the Narammala divisional secretariat have been destroyed following an infestation of pests. "We want some sort of relief from the government," one farmer insisted.