Stocks fell marginally on Wednesday, snapping a two-day winning streak, as most investors waited for the coordination meeting outcome.
The market opened higher and the key index of the major bourse rose 18 points within the first 15 minutes of trading. But the rest of the session eroded all the initial gains.
DSEX, the core index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, went down by 11.53 points or 0.17 per cent to settle at 6,753, after gaining over 23 points in the past two days.
Meanwhile, the Small Capital Platform Index - DSMEX -kept rising as the prime bourse gave a waiver from registration for the qualified investors (QIs) to take part in trading on SME Platforms.
The DSE SME Platform Index - DSMEX - rose about 17 per cent or 143 points in the past two days and closed at 949.68 on Wednesday.
Trading activities on the SME Platform also increased to Tk 60.86 million on Wednesday. Eight of the nine companies traded on the day saw a rise in their share prices.
On Monday, the DSE said qualified investors (QIs) from now on will require no registration to take part in trading in SME platforms.
Investors have been offered the facility as part of the regulatory move to enhance QIs' participation in trading of SME Platforms.
Market operators said most investors followed 'wait-and-see" approach and waited for the meeting outcome while the risk-averse investors opted for booking profit on quick-gaining stocks.
The securities regulator is trying to boost market liquidity through collaboration with market intermediaries, but most of the investors followed cautious amid ongoing volatility in the market, said a leading broker.
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has requested the insurance watchdog to take steps to list non-listed insurers and make them invest in order to give a boost to the stock market.
The insurance sector gained sharply by 3.50 per cent as the securities regulator request to IDRA to take steps to list non-listed insurance companies which raised optimism among investors. Nine, out of top 10 gainers were insurance companies.
Recently, the stock market regulator also wrote to several banks to invest in stocks in the existing capacity to support the market and development of the capital market.
Despite the regulatory efforts, a section of investors remained shaky amid the rising cost of living and potential adverse impacts on the country's economy due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflicts, said the stockbroker.
Two other indices also edged lower. The DSE 30 Index, comprising blue chips, fell 5.48 points to finish at 2,465 and the DSE Shariah Index (DSES) shed 1.04 points to close at 1,463.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also edged lower with the CSE All Share Price Index - CASPI -losing 29 points to settle at 19,775 and the Selective Categories Index - CSCX - shedding 16 points to close at 11,863.
Of the issues traded, 177 declined, 91 advanced and 42 issues remained unchanged on the CSE.
The port-city bourse traded 8.50 million shares and mutual fund units with turnover value worth over Tk 229 million.
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