United News of Bangladesh

The country’s bourses saw a positive start on Sunday (November 30) as key indices in both Dhaka and Chattogram moved up during the first hour of trading, with most companies posting gains. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index rose by 3 points in early trading. While the Shariah-based DSES index remained unchanged, the blue-chip DS30 index slipped by 1 point. Read more: DSE rebounds; index tops 5,000 after 20-day dip During the opening hour, prices increased for 162 issues, fell for 137, and remained unchanged for 67. The turnover crossed Tk 240 crore at the DSE. The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also opened higher, with its overall index gaining 33 points. Of the 103 companies traded, 46 advanced, 45 declined, and 12 remained unchanged. The turnover at the CSE exceeded Tk 5 crore in the first hour. Read more: Share Market Investment Guide: How to Invest in Stocks in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Khondoker Rashed Maksud on Tuesday welcomed the proposed budget, saying it reflects the government’s sincere and constructive approach to capital market development by giving due emphasis on crucial sectoral issues. In a written statement in response to the new budget, Rashed Maksud said Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus' five-point directives over the capital market were prominently incorporated in the budget speech delivered by Economic Adviser Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed. Among these directives were the direct listing of multinational companies in the capital market and the enlistment of strong, fundamentally sound local companies. In addition, the directives called for appointing foreign consultants to implement essential reforms, taking strict actions against irregularities and misconduct by market-related entities and individuals and providing policy support from the government to position the capital market as a central pillar of the future economy. Reflecting these directives, the Ministry of Finance has proposed widening the corporate tax gap between listed and non-listed companies from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. As a result, companies listed on the stock market will benefit from a lower corporate tax rate. Dhaka stocks extend losses, Chattogram index edges up The BSEC chairman expressed the hope that this move would encourage both domestic and foreign profit-making companies with strong fundamentals to become listed. To stimulate trading volume in the market, the transaction tax on brokerage houses has been reduced from 0.05 per cent to 0.03 per cent. Maksud noted that the capital market is currently facing liquidity constraints and low trading volumes, and he hoped this tax relief would encourage greater investor participation and enhance trading activity. Merchant banks, considered crucial stakeholders in the market, have also received incentives, he said. Highlighting their role in ensuring a sustainable supply of quality shares, the Chairman noted that the corporate tax rate for merchant banks has been reduced by 10 percentage points—from 37.5 per cent to 27.5 per cent. He believes this will further encourage merchant banks to contribute to capital market development. In a move to protect investors’ interests, the chairman recalled a key decision made shortly after the interim government assumed office on 4 November last year. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued a directive to reduce the capital gains tax from the sale of shares of listed companies. The maximum tax rate was halved from 30 per cent to 15 per cent. Rashed Maksud considered this a clear sign of the government's commitment to the capital market.

The downtrend in the country’s capital markets shows no sign of stopping, as both the Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges witnessed declines for the third consecutive trading day on Wednesday. Indices dropped across the board, with the majority of listed companies recording a fall in share prices. On the third trading session of the week, the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s (DSE) benchmark index, DSEX, dropped by 26 points. Major slump hits Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges hard The other two indices also followed suit: the Shariah-based DSES declined by 7 points, and the blue-chip DS30 index fell by 15 points. The SME index, DSMEX, representing small and medium enterprises, also took a hit, losing 13 points. An analysis of the DSEX index reveals that last week’s closing stood at 5,205 points. Over the past three trading days, the index has dropped incrementally, reaching 5,105 points – a 100-point fall even before the week comes to an end. Alongside the indices, most companies saw their share prices fall. Of the 397 companies that took part in trading, prices rose for only 120, while 212 saw a decline, and 64 remained unchanged. In terms of categories, the majority of shares in Category A, B, and Z experienced downward trends. Among the 36 mutual funds traded, only two posted gains, while prices fell for 27, and 7 remained unchanged. In the DSE’s block market, shares of 22 companies worth Tk 21 crore were traded. ACI Limited topped the list with shares worth Tk 11 crore changing hands. Adding to the concerns, overall trading volume also declined. Total turnover stood at Tk 396 crore, down from Tk 446 crore the previous day. Desh General Insurance Company Limited led the gainers’ list with a 10 per cent rise in share price, while AB Bank First Mutual Fund fell to the bottom with a 7.55 per cent drop. Chattogram Also Suffers Decline The Chattogram Stock Exchange (CSE) mirrored the trend seen in Dhaka. The overall index of CSE fell by 48 points. Out of the 204 companies that participated in trading, share prices of 121 companies declined, while 62 saw gains. Prices of 21 companies remained unchanged. Turnover also fell in the port city’s bourse. Shares and units worth Tk 5.40 crore were traded throughout the day, a drop from the previous session’s Tk 7.13 crore. Sinobangla Industries Limited topped the gainers in the CSE with a 10 per cent rise, while Eastern Insurance Company Limited dropped to the lowest position with a 9 per cent fall. END/UNB/MM/SAM

Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC) President and Managing Director of Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited Rupali Haque Chowdhury said many multinational companies in the country are not yet listed in the capital market. She said this at the CMJF Talk organised by Capital Market Journalists Forum (CMJF) in Paltan, in the capital, on Sunday (Mar 23). “There is a shortage of good companies in the capital market. For this, the way domestic and foreign companies come to the capital market or invest should be attractive,” Chowdhury opined. “We had a corporate tax gap of 15 percent. The company law should be reviewed for both listed and unlisted companies. I am not just talking about taxes. We have to level the playing field. Then if it is listed, it will benefit,” she said. Rupali Chowdhury said, why companies would come to IPO if they do not get benefits. They will take loans from banks. Because even though the interest rate in banks is high, it is easy to take loans. Bangladesh set to achieve record remittance inflow in March At the event, chaired by CMJM President Golam Samdani Bhuiyan and moderated by General Secretary Abu Ali, she presented the overall situation of the business. In response to a question, she said, it would not be right to increase all types of supplementary duties including port charges. If these duties are increased at this moment, business and commerce will not be able to bear any kind of inflationary pressure. “We from BAPLC are strongly protesting against the increase in duties. If they do not get good benefits if they are listed, then why will they come to IPO? Rather, they will collect capital from banks,” she pointed out.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the country's main capital market, saw a decline in trading in the first hour on Sunday. The 3 indexes of the Dhaka stock market DSEX and DS30 decreased while Shariah index DSES increased in the morning. The main index DSEX decreased by 0.01 points to 5,194.42 points, the DSES Shariah index up by 4.16 points to 1166.10 points, and the DS30 special blue-chip index fell by 2.85 points to 1921.41 points during the first hour on Sunday. Read: DSEX gains 9.42 points; 400 companies participate in trading On the day, the trading record in the DSE shows that shares and units of 3.27 crore were exchanged through 31872 transactions. In the first hour, the market witnessed huge selling pressure, and shares and mutual funds worth Tk 101.9 crore were traded. During this time, a total of 372 companies participated in trading. Among these, prices of 142 companies increased, 146 companies decreased and 84 companies remained unchanged at the DSE.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the country's main capital market, saw an upward trend of trading in the first hour on Wednesday. The 3 indexes of the Dhaka stock market DSEX, DSES and DS30 increased in the first session of the 4th working day of the week. The main index DSEX increased by 5.98 points to 5,196.75 points, the DSES Shariah index up by 1.13 points to 1160.03 points, and the DS30 special blue-chip index increased by 0.99 points to 1923.74 points during the first hour on Wednesday. Read: DSEX index drops by 8.06 points, TK 427.5 crore traded on Tuesday On the day, the trading record in the DSE shows that shares and units of 4.79 crore were exchanged through 33539 transactions. In the first hour, the market witnessed huge selling pressure, and shares and mutual funds worth Tk 95.5 crore were traded. During this time, a total of 365 companies participated in trading. Among these, prices of 184 companies increased, 106 companies decreased and 75 companies remained unchanged at the DSE.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) ended Tuesday’s trading with a downtrend. Trading started in the morning with an upward trend, but indexes started to drop after 12 pm. According to the trade record, the DSEX (broad index) decreased by 8.06 points to settle at 5,190.77 points, compared to 33.67 points up in the previous session (Monday). The Shariah-based DSES index fell by 2.69 points to settle at 1158.89 points, and the DS30 blue-chip index increased by 10.87 points to settle at 1922.74 points on Tuesday. A total of 17.14 crore shares and units changed hands through 127188 transactions, while 12.87 crore shares were traded in the previous session. A total of Tk 427.5 crore worth of shares and bonds were traded in the DSE on Tuesday which saw an increase from the previous session of Tk 362.6 crore. Out of the 399 companies that participated in trading, 162 advanced, 164 declined and 73 remained unchanged at the DSE. Read: DSEX index gains 33.67 points, prices of 223 companies up The port city bourse, CSE, also settled on an upward trend of trading. The All-Share Price Index (CASPI) increased by 36.6 points and settled at 14502.88 points. On the CSE, 206 companies participated in trading. Of them, 115 companies recorded price gains, 61 companies saw decline, and 30 companies remained unchanged. At the CSE, shares and units of 27.26 lakh changed hands through 1966 transactions. The value of trading shares and units was Tk 6.73 crore, which was Tk 8.49 crore in the previous session.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the country's main capital market, saw a mixed trend of trading in the first hour on Monday. The 3 indexes of the Dhaka stock market DSEX, DSES went up, and DS30 decreased in the first session of the second day of the week. The main index DSEX increased by 6.91 points to 5,172.08 points, the DSES Shariah index up by 2.73 points to 1150.85 points, and the DS30 special blue-chip index down by 0.34 points to 1919.27 points during the first hour on Monday. DSEX index drops by 34.44 points, prices of 270 companies decrease On the day, the trading record in the DSE shows that shares and units of 3.31 crore were exchanged through 27171 transactions. In the first hour, the market witnessed huge selling pressure, and shares and mutual funds worth Tk 81.5 crore were traded. During this time, a total of 357 companies participated in trading. Among these, prices of 174 companies increased, 90 companies decreased and 93 companies remained unchanged at the DSE.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the country's main capital market, saw a downtrend in the first two hours on Monday. Shares and units of 3.9 crore were exchanged through 43675 transactions. During this time, the market witnessed huge selling pressure, and shares and mutual funds worth Tk 118.2 crore were traded. A total of 388 companies participated in trading. Among these, prices of 154 companies increased,130 companies decreased and 104 companies remained unchanged at the DSE. Read: DSE index drops by 25.16 points as week begins The main index DSEX decreased by 5.56 points to 5,190.84 points, the DSES Shariah index fell by 1.63 points to 1160.52 points, and the DS30 special blue chip fell by 3.50 points to 1931.61 points during the first two hours on Monday.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) index dropped by 52.98 points within the first hour of trading on Sunday, reflecting a downturn in Bangladesh's main capital market. During this initial hour, trading volume reached Tk 71.2 crore. A total of 375 companies participated, with 248 experiencing price declines, 80 showing gains, and 47 remaining unchanged. Read: DSE index hits four-month low amid investor concerns The primary DSE index, DSEX, fell by 52.98 points to stand at 5,061.61. The DSES Shariah index saw a 12.91-point decrease, settling at 1,131.09, while the DS30 index, tracking blue-chip stocks, dropped by 18.40 points to 1,860.77.