The stock market continued its bearish trend yesterday as investors adopted a cautious approach, preferring profit-taking ahead of the upcoming earnings and dividend announcements for June-closing companies.
The DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), fell by 28.6 points, or 0.53 per cent, to settle at 5,315.44 after opening on a brief bullish note.
This marks the sixth consecutive day of losses for the main index, reflecting ongoing market retracement pressures. The Shariah-compliant DSES index also declined by 0.82 per cent to 1,152.5, while the DS30, which tracks blue-chip stocks, fell 0.76 per cent to close at 2,051.29.
Despite the negative sentiment, investor participation saw a slight rise, with turnover increasing to Tk666.51 crore from Tk610.86 crore in the previous session. A total of 202,671 trades were executed, with block transactions valued at Tk44.68 crore across 32 scrips.
Market breadth remained negative, as 115 stocks advanced, 222 declined and 60 remained unchanged. In the A-category shares, 65 gained while 124 lost value, with 29 unchanged. The B-category saw 29 stocks rising and 46 declining, while the N-category issues showed no change.
Sector-wise, the pharmaceutical sector dominated turnover with 17.4 per cent, followed by banking at 14.6 per cent, and textiles at 12.2 per cent. Most sectors recorded losses, with cement (down 2.2 per cent), information technology (down 1.4 per cent), and textiles (down1.1 per cent) among the worst performers.
Among individual stocks, Yeakin Polymer led the gainers with a 9 per cent jump, while Dulamia Cotton Spinning Mills was the biggest loser, falling 4 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also experienced profit-taking pressure. The Selective Categories’ Index (CSCX) dropped 53.2 points, and the All-Share Price Index (CASPI) declined by 84.9 points.