Stocks close lower amid cautious trade

Stocks ended lower on Tuesday with turnover dipping below Tk 4.0 billion-mark on the major bourse as investors kept their attention to the upcoming national budget. The market opened with positively yet it failed to sustain the momentum. Eventually, DSEX, the prime index of the DSE ended at 4,418.79 points, shedding 28.66 points or 0.64 per cent. The other two indices also ended lower. The DS30, comprising blue chips lost 13.14 points or 0.80 per cent to close at 1,625.32 points. The DSE Shariah Index (DSES) went down by 3.68 points or 0.36 per cent to close at 1,003.32 points. The total turnover at DSE went down to Tk 3.92 billion, registering a decline of 9.26 per cent over the previous session’s 4-week high value of Tk 4.32 billion. The losers took a strong lead over the gainers as out of 294 issues traded, 150 declined, 110 advanced and 34 closed unchanged on the DSE floor. Grameenphone (GP) continued to top turnover leader for the fourth sessions with shares worth Tk 414.62 million changing hands followed by Lafarge Surma Cement, Heidelberg Cement, BSRM Steels and Meghna Petroleum. Al-Haj Textile was the day’s highest gainer, posting a rise of 9.97 per cent while AIBL First Mutual Fund was the day’s worst loser, slumping by 9.72 per cent. The port city bourse, Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also closed lower with its Selective Categories Index – CSCX – lost 61.06 points to close at 8,425.84 points. Losers beat gainers 135 to 67, with 18 issues remaining unchanged at the port city bourse that traded 6.63 million shares and mutual fund units, turnover value of Tk 252.84 billion.