Botched Trade of Debutant Triggers Halt in Sri Lankan Stocks

The Colombo Stock Exchange.Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg

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By Ashutosh Joshi and Asantha Sirimanne

January 7, 2026 at 5:02 AM UTC

Updated on

January 7, 2026 at 10:23 AM UTC

Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange halted market-wide trading and scrapped all orders on Wednesday, in a rare move following erroneous trades in a newly listed stock.

The exchange said it noticed certain trades in debutant Wealthtrust Securities Ltd. were placed at “irregular prices,” potentially impacting buying power of investors. Trading was halted to ensure a “fair and orderly market,” it said.