Dhaka stocks ended a six-session losing streak on Thursday as bargain hunting returned to the market, though a sharp fall in turnover suggested investors remained cautious about the recovery.
DSEX, the broad-based index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), gained 16.4 points, or 0.3 per cent, to close at 5,786 points, recovering from 5,770 points in the previous session.
The market moved through a volatile session, with buyers and sellers competing for control before late buying support pushed the index higher.
However, investor participation weakened, with daily turnover falling below Tk700 crore for the first time in three months.
DSE turnover declined 8.3 per cent to Tk672 crore, while the number of trades fell 11.1 per cent.
Market capitalisation rose by Tk2,400 crore, or 0.3 per cent, to Tk7.04 lakh crore.
Of the 396 issues traded, 188 advanced, 123 declined and 84 remained unchanged, indicating a broader recovery across listed stocks.
Textile stocks led trading activity, accounting for 24.7 per cent of total turnover. General insurance contributed 16.6 per cent, followed by pharma and chemicals with 10.4 per cent, engineering with 9.4 per cent and banks with 7.9 per cent of the daily total at the premier bourse.
Most sectors closed higher.
General insurance posted the strongest gain, rising 1.9 per cent, followed by IT with a 1.3 per cent rise and mutual funds with a 1 per cent rise.
Services and real estate gained 0.9 per cent, while textile and engineering stocks rose 0.6 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively.
Financial institutions were the biggest sectoral losers, declining 0.9 per cent. Telecom fell 0.5 per cent, while fuel and power dropped 0.3 per cent.
Among individual stocks, Sharp Industries was the top gainer, rising 10 per cent, followed by Sikder Insurance, which gained 9.89 per cent.
Shyampur Sugar Mills rose 8.74 per cent, Zeal Bangla Sugar Mills gained 8.49 per cent and Al-Arafah Islami Bank advanced 6.94 per cent.
At the other end, GBB Power recorded the biggest decline, falling 9.33 per cent. Dominage Steel Building Systems dropped 4.78 per cent.
Sharp Industries also topped the turnover chart, with shares worth Tk20.05 crore changing hands. Techno Drug followed with Tk17.55 crore, while Paramount Textile recorded Tk16.19 crore in turnover.
Analysts said that, despite the day’s rebound, the decline in trading activity indicated investors remained hesitant to make aggressive bets after the recent correction.
