DSE turnover dips below Tk 3b-mark

Stocks ended lower for the third running sessions Sunday with turnover on the prime bourse dipped below Tk 3.0 billion-mark once again as investors remained reluctant to make fresh investments. The market opened with a negative note and the downtrend continued till the market closure. At the end of the session, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSEX) came down below 4,600 points mark and ended at 4,591.17 points, shedding 44.16 points or 0.95 per cent. The other two indices also closed lower. The DS30, comprising blue chips lost 13.95 points or 0.83 per cent to close at 1,657.72 points. The DSE Shariah Index (DSES) went down by 4.79 points or 0.47 per cent to close at 1,009.29 points. Turnover on DSE came down to Tk 2.92 billion, registering 17.28 per cent decline over the previous session’s value of Tk 3.53 billion. It was also two and a half month lowest turnover since Tk 2.64 billion on December 29, 2013. The losers took a lead over the gainers as out of 292 issues traded, 165 declined, 92 advanced and 35 issues closed unchanged on the DSE floor. The market capitalization of the DSE stood at Tk 2,870.95 billion against Tk 2,888.33 billion in the previous session. Square Pharma became the top turnover leaders with shares worth Tk 158.63 million changing hands followed by Padma Oil, Lafarge Surrma Cement, BSCCL and National Tubes. Pragati Insurance was also the day’s highest gainer; posting a rise of 9.48 per cent while Al-Arafa Islami Bank was the day’s worst losers, slumping by 15.34 per cent following its price adjustment after record date. The port city bourse --- the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also ended lower with its Selective Categories Index – CSCX lost 91.78 points to close at 8,938.65 points. Losers beat gainers 138 to 52, with 25 issues remaining unchanged at the port city bourse that traded 5.59 million shares and mutual fund units, turnover value of Tk 236.08 million.