Marico Bangladesh, IPDC Finance and Asiatic Laboratories emerged as the top stocks in the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s (DSE) block market this week, as large investors carried out sizeable negotiated transactions across consumer goods, financial, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
The block market is a separate trading segment where investors execute large share transactions through pre-arranged deals instead of placing regular buy and sell orders in the main market. The facility is mainly used by institutional investors, sponsors, directors and large shareholders to adjust their holdings without creating sudden pressure on a stock’s regular market price.
In Bangladesh, block transactions are also subject to price controls. The agreed price of a block trade cannot generally be more than 10 per cent above or below the prevailing market price of the same security in the regular trading session. The rule allows investors to complete large transactions while limiting unusual price movements.
According to DSE, Marico Bangladesh recorded the highest block market turnover this week, with shares worth Tk14.42 crore changing hands. A total of 0.05 million shares were traded at Tk2,720 each.
IPDC Finance ranked second with Tk11.01 crore worth of block transactions. The non-bank financial institution saw 3.41 million shares exchanged at prices ranging from Tk29.90 to Tk35.40.
Asiatic Laboratories followed with Tk10.83 crore in turnover, involving 0.82 million shares traded between Tk128 and Tk145.
Sonargaon Textiles recorded Tk10.71 crore in block transactions, with 1.19 million shares changing hands within a price range of Tk87.20 to Tk91.
Among banks, City Bank led block activity with Tk9.62 crore worth of shares traded. The bank saw 3.35 million shares exchanged between Tk28.40 and Tk28.80.
BRAC Bank also featured among the top block-traded stocks, recording Tk9.05 crore in turnover through 1.43 million shares traded between Tk63.10 and Tk63.90.
Sharp Industries recorded Tk8.47 crore in block market turnover, while Dhaka Bank saw Tk6.53 crore worth of shares exchanged. Dhaka Bank recorded the highest share volume among the top block-traded companies, with 5.31 million shares changing hands at Tk12.30 each.
City General Insurance recorded Tk6.27 crore in block transactions, followed by Sunlife Insurance with Tk4.09 crore.
The week’s block activity was spread across several sectors, indicating that large investors were repositioning holdings across multiple segments rather than focusing on a single market theme.
However, block market turnover alone does not show whether investors are buying for long-term positions or exiting their holdings. Market participants usually assess block transactions alongside company earnings, valuation, ownership changes and broader market trends to understand their significance.
For retail investors, block market activity serves as an indicator of where large transactions are taking place, but it should not be treated as a standalone signal for investment decisions.
