Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Friday, helped by gains in materials and industrials stocks.
* The CSE All-Share index CSELK:ASI rose 0.57% to 21,085.09, gaining for a fourth straight session and marking a weekly gain after two consecutive weeks of losses.
* UB Finance PLC CSELK:UBF.N0000 and SMB Finance CSELK:SEMB.N0000 were the top percentage gainers on the index, up 35% and 28.6%, respectively.
* Credit ratings agency S&P Global on Friday upgraded Sri Lanka's foreign currency ratings from the "selective default" it had languished in since 2022, on progress in restructuring the island country's remaining commercial debt.
* Trading volume on the index rose to 377.1 million shares from 254.6 million shares in the previous session.
* The equity market's turnover fell to 6.51 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($21.5 million) from 6.86 billion rupees, according to exchange data.
* Foreign investors were net buyers, purchasing stocks worth 75.7 million rupees, while domestic investors were net sellers, offloading shares worth 6.49 billion rupees, data showed.
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($1 = 302.3000 Sri Lankan rupees)