Sri Lankan shares closed lower for a second straight session on Tuesday, dragged by consumer staples and financial stocks.

 

* The CSE All-Share index closed 0.56% to 9,233.40.

* Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved granting licences to China's Sinopec , Australia's United Petroleum, and U.S. firm RM Parks, in collaboration with Shell Plc, to enter the fuel retail market, the energy minister said.

* John Keells Holdings Plc and LOLC Finance Plc were the top drags on the index, down 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively, according to Refinitiv data.

* The trading volume for the CSE All-Share index fell to 44 million shares from about 45.4 million in the previous session.

* The equity market's turnover fell to 861.8 million Sri Lankan rupees ($2.65 million) from 871 million rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.

* Foreign investors were net buyers in the equity market, purchasing stocks worth 73.2 million rupees, while domestic investors were net sellers, offloading 803.8 million rupees of shares, the data showed.

* For a report on global markets, click ($1 = 325.0000 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Sohini Goswami)