WealthTrust Securities Limited began trading on the Diri Savi Board on January 7, 2026. The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) noted unusually high prices for certain transactions involving WealthTrust Securities Limited, as market orders were matched with these unusually high sell orders.
The CSE further observed that clients who sold shares at these elevated prices utilized the buying power from such sales to acquire shares of other listed entities.
To mitigate significant systemic risk to the market, the CSE, in agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, implemented a market halt at 9:54 a.m. All orders and transactions conducted on January 7, 2026, were canceled to maintain a fair and orderly securities market.
These measures were taken to ensure investor protection and uphold the integrity of the securities market.
The CSE also clarified that the unusual price movements were not related to WealthTrust Securities Limited, which listed its securities on January 7, 2026.
As a precautionary step, the CSE has decided to disallow market orders on the first day of trading for securities of newly listed entities in the future.
Trading will resume as usual on January 8, 2026.
