Dhaka’s stock market closed lower on Sunday as falling prices of large-cap securities weighed on the broader market, although trading activity increased compared with the previous session.
The benchmark DSEX index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) fell 6.9 points to finish at 5,526, down from 5,533 in the previous trading session. The decline indicates that weakness among major listed companies was sufficient to pull the benchmark lower despite relatively active trading across several sectors.
Market turnover, however, moved in the opposite direction. Total transactions on the DSE rose 2.6 per cent to Tk 740 crore from Tk 720 crore in the previous session, according to a report by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). The increase in turnover suggests that investors remained active in the market even as the main index ended in negative territory.
The textile sector accounted for the largest portion of the day’s turnover, representing 27.2 per cent of total trading. General insurance stocks followed with a 22.8 per cent share, while pharmaceutical companies accounted for another 10.1 per cent.
The distribution of trading across these sectors shows that textile and general insurance stocks remained particularly active during the session. Pharmaceuticals also maintained a notable presence in overall market transactions.
Market breadth, meanwhile, pointed to a predominantly negative trading session. A total of 395 issues were traded on the DSE. Of these, prices of 123 securities advanced, while 215 declined. Another 57 issues closed unchanged.
The number of declining securities was therefore considerably higher than the number of advancing issues, reflecting broader selling pressure across the market. The weakness was particularly significant among large-cap securities, which tend to have a stronger influence on the movement of the benchmark index.
Trading at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) was mixed. Its selected index, the CSCX, edged up 0.3 points, while the All Share Price Index (CASPI) fell 5.6 points.
The contrasting movement of the two CSE indices reflected differences in the performance of securities included in the respective benchmarks. Overall, Sunday’s session presented a mixed picture for Bangladesh’s equity market: trading turnover increased, but the main DSE index declined as falling prices of large-cap shares and a higher number of losing securities outweighed gains elsewhere.