Stocks end flat amid low turnover

Stocks ended flat in positive zone Thursday after three sessions’ fall with sluggish trading activities as investors followed cautious stance amid the nation-wide strike. The market opened with a positive mood in the morning, which continued till the market closure amid modest see-saw. At the end of the session, DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) ended at 5,025.10 points, gaining 7.88 points or 0.15 per cent. However, the other two indices closed in the red. The DS30, comprising blue chips lost 5.40 points or 0.28 per cent to close at 1,866.98 points. The DSE Shariah Index dropped 2.23 points or 0.18 per cent to close at 1,180.30 points. The total turnover on DSE came down to Tk 6.20 billion, registering a decline of 16.55 per cent over the previous day’s turnover of Tk 7.43 billion. The gainers took a lead over the losers as out of 304 issues traded, 160 advanced, 108 declined and 36 remained unchanged on the DSE floor. The total market capitalization of the DSE stood at Tk 3,322.52 billion against Tk 3,323.17 billion in the previous session. The new issue -- Western Marine Shipyard was the most traded stock for the fourth session with shares worth Tk 459.25 million changing hands followed by DESCO, GP, KPPL and Keya Cosmetics. Western Marine Shipyard was also the day’s highest gainer, posting a rise of 12.92 per cent while Dulamia Cotton was the day’s worst loser, slumping by 29.62 per cent following no dividend declaration. The port city bourse, Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also closed slightly higher with its Selective Categories Index – CSCX – gained 16.96 points to close at 9,447.19 points. Gainers beat losers 100 to 94, with 31 issues remaining unchanged at the port city bourse that traded 12.86 million shares and mutual fund units with turnover value of Tk 486.45 million.