Sri Lankan shares ended slightly lower onWednesday, dragged by industrial stocks, with the crisis-hitnation scrambling to put an economic policy framework and securea bailout.

The CSE All-Share index closed 0.28% lower at8,370.16.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will holddual charge as finance minister, the president’s officeannounced, and will lead talks with the International MonetaryFund as the country seeks a bailout.

On Tuesday, the World Bank said it was not planning toprovide any new financing to Sri Lanka until an adequateeconomic policy framework has been put in place.

Sri Lanka, an island nation of 22 million people, isreeling under its worst economic crisis since independence in1948, with a severe shortage of foreign exchange curtailingimports, including essentials such as fuel and medicines.

The equity market turnover was 1.66 billion Sri Lankanrupees ($4.68 million).

Trading volume rose to 72.2 million shares from 308million shares in the previous session.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market,offloading shares worth 126.9 million rupees, while domesticinvestors were net buyers, purchasing 1.54 billion rupees worthshares, according to exchange data.

($1 = 355.0000 Sri Lankan rupees)