Business Report :
Investors at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) are reacting to a volatile market this week, driving selling pressure as indices show instability over the past five trading days.
Out of these five days, the DSE’s major indexes dropped on three occasions, with brief recoveries on the other two days. The uncertainty has led many investors to offload shares, resulting in a sharp decline in the market.
On Thursday, shares and mutual funds of 395 companies were traded, amounting to a total transaction of Tk 306 crore. Among them, the share prices of 83 companies increased, 272 companies dropped, and 40 remained unchanged, reflecting the growing apprehension among investors.
This follows a similarly tough day on Wednesday, when transactions reached Tk 321 crore and the main index plunged by 71.98 points. The continuous decline is worrying many, as the market struggles to regain stability.
Despite the overall downturn, a few companies managed to stand out. Reckitt Benckiser, Marico, Ambee Pharma, Sonali Aansh Industries Limited, and Heidelberg Cement were the top five gainers on Thursday, offering some hope amidst an otherwise bearish market.
By the close of trading on Thursday, the DSE’s key index, the DSEX, fell by 55.19 points, closing at 5,114.59. The DSES (Shariah) index dropped by 18.63 points to settle at 1,144, while the DS30, which tracks blue-chip companies, saw a decrease of 13.59 points, ending at 1,879.17.
Similar trends were observed at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the CASPI index decreased by 199.70 points, closing at 14,302.59. Shares of 184 companies and mutual funds were traded on the CSE, with 39 companies posting gains, 130 companies reporting losses, and 15 remaining unchanged.
The total value of transactions at the CSE on Thursday stood at Tk 4.15 crore, an increase from Tk 3.12 crore the day before. Despite this rise in transaction volume, the overall market trend remained negative.