Dhaka stocks extended losses for a second straight session on Monday as broad-based selling swept across sectors, with investors remaining cautious ahead of the earnings and dividend declaration season.
The benchmark DSEX fell 37.1 points, or 0.7 per cent, to close at 5,445 from 5,482 in the previous session.
The DS30, comprising 30 selected companies, slipped 3.5 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 2,082, while the DSMEX index of SME stocks dropped 7.1 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 1,009.
Market capitalisation edged down 0.1 per cent to Tk6,77,300 crore.
Trading activity also weakened slightly. Turnover fell 1.1 per cent to Tk537.10 crore.
The number of trades, however, rose 0.5 per cent to 172,753, while trading volume increased 5.6 per cent to 18.1 crore shares.
Market breadth remained sharply negative. Of the 395 issues traded, 52 advanced, 282 declined and 61 remained unchanged.
Textiles dominated trading, accounting for 29.5 per cent of equity-market turnover, or Tk154.03 crore. Pharmaceuticals and chemicals followed with 13.1 per cent, or Tk68.14 crore, while general insurance accounted for 10.5 per cent, or Tk54.63 crore.
Most sectors closed lower.
Ceramics recorded the steepest sectoral fall, losing 3.4 per cent, followed by information technology at 2.8 per cent and general insurance at 2.2 per cent.
Apex Foods led the gainers, jumping 19.58 per cent to Tk311.50, while Shyampur Sugar Mills rose 8.63 per cent to Tk319.60.
Techno Drugs was the day’s biggest loser, falling 9.83 per cent to Tk36.70. Maksons Spinning Mills dropped 9.26 per cent to Tk4.90, while Nurani Dyeing and Sweater lost 6.67 per cent to Tk2.80.
Other heavily traded or notable gainers included ICB Sonali Bank First Mutual Fund, Intraco Refueling Station, Bangladesh Lamps, Sunlife Insurance, Usmania Glass Sheet Factory and Hwa Well Textile.
Among the other losers were Zahintex Industries, GSP Finance Company (Bangladesh), Far East Knitting and Dyeing Industries, BD Thai Food and Beverage, Aman Feed, Premier Leasing and Finance and Orion Infusion.
At the Chittagong Stock Exchange, prices of 53 of the 195 traded securities rose, while 120 declined and 22 remained unchanged.
The CSE All Share Price Index fell 40 points, although turnover increased to Tk17.13 crore from Tk13.32 crore in the previous session.
Monday’s trading left the market with a familiar pattern: heavier selling across sectors, modestly weaker turnover and investors holding back ahead of corporate results that could determine whether the recent decline deepens or draws bargain hunters back into the market.
