COLOMBO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded its largest single-day point drop on Tuesday, with the benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) sliding 1,290.68 points, or 5.44 percent, to close at 22,443.38, official data showed.
The more liquid S&P SL20 Index fell 322.32 points to end at 6,313.65, while market turnover topped 9.56 billion Sri Lankan rupees (about 32 million U.S. dollars), the CSE said.
Trading was temporarily halted in the morning after the S&P SL20 dropped more than 5 percent from the previous close, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker. Regular trading resumed 30 minutes later, the exchange said.
Local media described Tuesday's sell-off as the market's reaction after the latest Middle East conflict developments, which have raised concerns over global risk sentiment and energy prices.
The previous biggest point fall was recorded on Dec. 1, 2025, when the ASPI dropped 690.76 points. The steepest percentage decline on record was 6.56 percent on Feb. 2, 2021, according to the financial press. ■