Sri Lanka bourse falls for 4th straight session; rupee up

COLOMBO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan stocks ended weaker for a fourth straight session on Thursday on profit taking in hotel shares while the rupee edged up on dollar sales by a state-run bank.

The Colombo Stock Exchange's main index dropped 0.5 percent, or 29.34 points, to close at 5,861.35, its lowest since Sept. 19.

Turnover was 565.5 million rupees ($4.37 million), half of this year's daily average of 962 million rupees.

The bourse saw a net foreign inflow of 16.1 million rupees, extending the net inflow so far this year to 32.32 billion rupees ($249.81 million).

The rupee closed a tad firmer at 129.10/20 a dollar, from Wednesday's close of 129.50/60 as the Bank of Ceylon sold dollars, dealers said.

($1 = 129.3750 Sri Lanka rupees)

(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

((ranga.sirilal@thomsonreuters.com)(+94-11-232-5540)(Reuters

Messaging: ranga.sirilal.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: MARKETS SRILANKA/