Sri Lanka shares end at 1-mth low, rupee edges down

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, May 13 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares fell 0.68
percent to a one-month low on Tuesday as investors worried that
corporate performance could be hurt by soaring inflation, high
interest rates and a worsening security situation.

The rupee <LKR=> weakened slightly on importer demand for
dollars.

The Colombo All-Share index .CSE fell 17.84 points to
2,613.89, a third successive fall that took it to its lowest
close since April 9.

Geeth Balasuriya, assistant manager research at HNB stock
brokers, said investors were concerned that upcoming company
results would be on the disappointing side.

"It's another day of blue chips dragging the market down
with bit of cautious trading," Balasuriya said.

"Results are around the corner and people are bit worried,
with the market not expecting very strong corporate earnings
for the first quarter."

No. 1 mobile phone operator Dialog Telekom DIAL.CM, which
makes up more than 15 percent of the index, fell 1.64 percent
to 15 rupees calculated on a weighted average, and conglomerate
John Keels Holdings JKH.CM fell 0.43 percent to 117 rupees.

Turnover was 163.78 million rupees ($1.52 million), well
below last year's daily average of 400 million rupees.

The rupee <LKR=> closed slightly weaker at 107.65/70 per
dollar from Monday's 107.60/63.

"The rupee ended slightly weaker on importer demand from
state banks probably it could be oil bills," a currency dealer
said.

The interbank lending rate CLIBOR fell to 16.921 percent
from Monday's 17.319 percent.