United News of Bangladesh

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