Stocks edge higher amid volatile trading

Stocks edged marginally higher on Monday amid see saw trading throughout the session with turnover remaining sluggish as ongoing volatile market sentiment kept investors cautious. The market opened with a choppy trading. At the end of the session, the prime index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) --- DSEX - ended at 4,491.98 points, gaining 13.29 points or 0.29 per cent from previous session. The other two indices also closed positive. The DS30, comprising blue chips, gained 10.10 points or 0.63 per cent to close at 1,603.53 points. The DSE Shariah Index (DSES) went up by 2.39 points or 0.24 per cent to close at 975.96 points. Turnover value on the DSE stood at Tk 2.87 billion, registering 3.61 per cent increase over the previous session’s value of Tk 2.77 billion. Out of 289 issues traded, 127 advanced, 129 declined and 33 issues closed unchanged on the DSE floor. The total market capitalisation on DSE stood at Tk 2,835.37 billion against Tk 2,822.65 billion in the previous session. Lafarge Surma Cement became the top turnover leaders with shares worth Tk 283.32 million changing hands followed by Padma Oil, Square Pharma, National Tubes and BSC. Eastern Lubricants was the day's highest gainer; posting a rise of 6.69 per cent while Renwick Jajneswar was the day's worst losers, slumping by 8.62 per cent. The port city bourse – the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) – also closed positive with its Selective Categories Index – CSCX – gaining 16.15 points to close at 8,705.35 points. Losers beat gainers 117 to 75, with 21 issues remaining unchanged at the port city bourse that traded 6.24 million shares and mutual fund units, with the turnover value hitting Tk 258.70 million.