Sri Lankan shares notch fifth day of gains

Sri Lankan shares advanced for a fifth straight session on Tuesday, boosted by gains in financial and consumer staples stocks.

* The CSE All-Share Index closed 0.64% higher at 7,450.54.

* Commercial Bank of Ceylon Plc and investment company Browns Investments Plc were the top boosts to the index, rising 3.2% each.

* Sri Lanka has reported 186,364 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,484 deaths as of Tuesday, according to health ministry data.

* Trading volume fell to 110.9 million from 119.6 million in the previous session.

* Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 137.8 million rupees ($701,272.26), according to exchange data.

* The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 196.5 against the U.S. dollar as of 1206 GMT, 0.25% stronger for the day compared with last session's close of 197, according to Refinitiv data.

* Equity market turnover was 2.91 billion rupees, exchange data showed.

(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) ((AnuronKumar.Mitra@thomsonreuters.com; +91 99863 58469;))