Sri Lankan shares end higher as industrials gain

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares ended higher on the

first trading day of 2023 on Monday, helped by gains in

industrial stocks. * The CSE All-Share index rose 0.23% to 8,509.60,

posting gains for the third consecutive session. * Last year, the index fell 30.5%, logging its worst year

since 2008 as the island nation battled a severe economic

crisis. * Conglomerate Expolanka Holdings and life

insurance solutions provider Softlogic Life Insurance Plc

were the biggest boosts on Monday, rising 1.65% and

11.89%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data. * The trading volume fell to 130.9 million shares from 239.3

million shares in the previous session. * The equity market's turnover fell to 1.87 billion Sri

Lankan rupees ($5.15 million) from 1.89 billion rupees in the

previous session, according to exchange data. * Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market,

offloading stocks worth 84.7 million rupees, while domestic

investors were net buyers, purchasing 1.86 billion rupees of

shares, the data showed. * For a report on global markets, click

($1 = 363.0000 Sri Lankan rupees)

(Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sohini

Goswami)