The latest import tariff policies introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 have sparked a wave of economic turbulence, leading to what is now shaping into a global economic crisis.
As a result of this development, several stock markets around the world have experienced significant downturns, with numerous Asian markets bearing the brunt of the impact.
Sri Lanka’s sole stock exchange, the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), has not been spared from the fallout. Following the announcement of President Trump’s decision, the CSE has suffered a sharp decline over three consecutive trading days.
At the close of trading on April 2, the All Share Price Index (ASPI) stood at 16,007.44 points. However, by the end of trading on April 7, the index had plunged to 14,660.45 points—a dramatic drop of 1,346.99 points or 8.41% in just three trading sessions.
In parallel, the total market capitalization of the Colombo Stock Exchange, which was Rs. 5,688.56 billion on April 2, declined to Rs. 5,253.18 billion as of yesterday (April 7). This represents a staggering loss of Rs. 435.37 billion—or Rs. 43,537 crore—within the span of three days.
Notably, the CSE lost Rs. 227 billion in value in trading just yesterday alone.
