Dhaka stocks extended losses on Thursday as uncertainty over margin lending rules and renewed Middle East tensions weakened investor confidence, triggering broad-based selling across sectors.
The benchmark DSEX index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) fell 66.8 points, or 1.14 per cent, to close at 5,804, down from 5,871 in the previous session.
The blue-chip DS30 index declined 23.9 points to 2,193, while the Shariah-based DSES index dropped 16.12 points to 1,183.06. The SME companies index DSMEX slipped 1.2 points to 1,220.
Investors adopted a defensive stance from the beginning of trading as concerns over possible changes to margin financing rules combined with geopolitical risks to weaken risk appetite.
The decline also reflected profit-taking after recent market gains as investors waited for clearer signals on policy direction.
Market activity weakened, with turnover falling 22.5 per cent to Tk938.9 crore from Tk1,211.1 crore in the previous session.
Trading volume declined to 41.2 crore shares from 51.7 crore, while the number of transactions dropped to 249,005 from 294,367.
Market breadth remained negative, with 306 securities declining, 57 advancing and 33 unchanged among 396 traded securities.
Textile stocks accounted for the largest share of turnover at 20.5 per cent, followed by pharmaceuticals and chemicals at 11.7 per cent and banks at 11.3 per cent.
All sectors closed lower.
Travel and leisure recorded the biggest decline, falling 4.4 per cent, followed by mutual funds with a 2.8 per cent fall, ceramics 2.5 per cent, engineering 2.1 per cent and life insurance 2.1 per cent.
Other declining sectors included tannery industries, down 1.8 per cent; cement, 1.8 per cent; IT, 1.7 per cent; miscellaneous, 1.6 per cent; services and real estate, 1.5 per cent; fuel and power, 1.5 per cent; paper and printing, 1.4 per cent; jute, 1.4 per cent; food and allied, 1.3 per cent; financial institutions, 1.2 per cent; banks, 1 per cent; pharmaceuticals and chemicals, 0.7 per cent; telecommunications, 0.6 per cent; general insurance, 0.4 per cent and textiles, 0.3 per cent.
Among individual securities, Familytex gained the most, rising 8.7 per cent. Tung Hai Knitting and Dyeing advanced 7.69 per cent, followed by Nurani Dyeing & Sweater 7.41 per cent, Generation Next Fashions 7.14 per cent and C & A Textiles 6.9 per cent.
Fareast Finance & Investment rose 6.25 per cent, while International Leasing and Financial Services gained 6.25 per cent. People’s Leasing and Financial Services advanced 5.88 per cent, FAS Finance & Investment 5.88 per cent and M.L. Dyeing & Textile Industries 5.81 per cent.
On the losing side, Shaympur Sugar Mills declined 8.72 per cent, followed by Usmania Glass Sheet Factory with a 7.26 per cent fall and Renwick, Jajneswar & Co with a 7.04 per cent decline. Best Holdings dropped 5.59 per cent, while ICB AMCL CMSF Golden Jubilee Mutual Fund fell 5.26 per cent.
First Bangladesh Fixed Income Fund declined 5.13 per cent, followed by Zeal Bangla Sugar Mills 5.09 per cent, DBH First Mutual Fund 5 per cent, Trust Bank 1st Mutual Fund 4.88 per cent and PHP First Mutual Fund 4.88 per cent.
