Investors take to street again

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FE ReportHundreds of frustrated investors took to the street again Wednesday and demonstrated in front of the country's premier bourse---DSE- protesting continuous fall of share prices and demanding restoration of normalcy in the market. The angry investors also demanded suspension of trading until any clear directive from the Prime Minister comes to bring back normalcy in the market. The aggrieved investors took to the fresh street protests in Motijheel commercial hub as Dhaka stocks nose-dived shedding over 163 points or 3.08 per cent at around 12:45pm. At the end of the session DGEN fell 48.97 points or 0.92 per cent to close at 5,258.46, as all of the market bolstering initiatives apparently failed to revive investors' confidence and bring back stability in the stock market. Meanwhile, the investors rushed to come out of some brokerage firms adjacent to DSE main building following a fire spark on internet cable. There were no causalities as the fire sparked, which was visible for a few seconds, later became invisible before the fire brigades arrived there. The aggrieved investors demonstrated and formed a human chain in front of the DSE building, blocking the traffic movement between Shapla Chattar to Ittefaq Intersection. They also chanted slogans demanding resignation of the finance minister and Bangladesh Bank Governor. Several investors fell sick during demonstration. Vehicular movement in the bustling business hub came to a halt about two and a half hour and normalcy, however, was restored at around 4pm. However, there were no untoward incidents occurred on the spot as additional law enforcing agencies cordoned off the whole area and brought the situation under control. Agitated investors alleged that big market players and gamblers might have a hand in the recent continuous market fall and they urged the government to stabilize the market. They said the regulator should investigate whether any vested quarters are involved behind the share price fall. The investors came to the street in front of the DSE building, a day after they suspended their fast-unto-death strike Tuesday for a week amid police protest. After forming the human chain, the leaders of Bangladesh Capital Market Investors Oikkya Parisad blamed the persons of law and enforcement who barred them to continue hunger strike. Protestors demanded that they never arranged demonstration to favour opposition parties. They also threatened to besiege the Bangladesh Bank head office to issue an order for the investment up to 20 per cent of banks' liabilities. The investors on Tuesday had postponed their fast-unto-death strike for a week with a warning of waging a tougher movement if the prime minister did not intervene to stabilise the capital market.