Bangladesh’s capital market ended the week on a positive note, with all major indices gaining as overall turnover rose, signalling renewed investor confidence.
According to the Weekly Market Pulse report of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index gained 80 points over the week.
After opening at 5,154 points, the index closed at 5,234 points, marking a year-on-year rise of more than 7.5 per cent.
The Shariah-based DSES index advanced 37 points, while the blue-chip DS30 index added 15 points. Over the past year, the two indices have recorded gains of around 7 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.|
The SME index, representing small and medium enterprises, also edged up by more than 3.5 points.
Average daily turnover at the DSE climbed to Tk 668 crore during the week, up from Tk 579 crore in the previous week, an increase of over 15 per cent.
Market breadth remained positive, as share prices of 231 companies increased against declines in 141 companies, while prices of 17 companies remained unchanged.
The banking sector emerged as the main attraction for investors. Share prices in the sector rose by more than 116 per cent, the highest among all sectors, while turnover surged 123 per cent, indicating heavy trading interest.
BRAC Bank PLC topped the turnover chart in the banking sector, with its weekly turnover rising by over 3 per cent, placing it at the top of the DSE’s trading list. Other actively traded bank stocks included Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC and City Bank PLC.
The cement sector followed closely, posting a strong rally as prices increased by 109 per cent and turnover rose 93 per cent. All seven listed cement companies ended the week with price gains.
Among non-bank financial institutions, share prices rose by 44 per cent, though turnover declined slightly by around 1.5 per cent. Mutual fund units performed well, with prices and turnover increasing by 55 per cent and 65 per cent respectively.
In contrast, the insurance sector underperformed. General insurance stocks saw a 42 per cent fall in prices and a 48 per cent decline in turnover, while life insurance stocks recorded a 17 per cent drop in prices and a 27 per cent fall in turnover.
In the block market, Fine Foods Limited recorded the highest turnover, selling shares worth nearly Tk 13.8 crore through several transactions.
Interestingly, nine of the top ten gainers on the DSE were Z-category companies, while nine of the bottom ten losers were A-category firms.
This indicates that despite the overall market rise, non-dividend-paying and financially weaker companies dominated the gainers’ list, while fundamentally strong dividend-paying stocks largely lagged behind.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also witnessed a positive trend. The overall CASPI index rose by 262 points, while the CSE30 and CSE50 indices gained 253 points and 24 points respectively.
At the CSE, share prices of 160 companies increased, compared to declines in 87 companies, while prices of 22 companies remained unchanged.
Orion Infusion Limited, Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, Fine Foods Limited, Lovello Ice Cream PLC and Eastern Bank PLC were the most traded stocks on the CSE during the week.
