Bangladesh's stock market opened the week on a bearish note on Sunday, with both the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) recording sharp falls in their key indices as share prices declined for most listed companies.

The DSE's benchmark index, DSEX, fell 38 points during the day's trading. The Shariah-based index, DSES, dropped 6 points, while the blue-chip index, DS30, lost 14 points.

Of the 392 companies traded on the DSE, 286 saw their share prices fall, 79 posted gains, and 27 remained unchanged.

Overall turnover on the DSE declined, with shares and units worth Tk 964 crore changing hands during the day, down from Tk 1,147 crore in the previous session.

Nitol Insurance PLC topped the DSE gainers' list, rising nearly 10 per cent, while Peoples Leasing and Financial Services Limited was the worst performer, losing more than 8 per cent.

The CSE also witnessed a steep fall, with its overall index, CASPI, shedding 106 points.

Prices fell for the majority of companies on the CSE, with 139 issues declining against 52 advancing and 24 remaining unchanged.

Turnover on the CSE, however, edged up slightly, with shares and units worth Tk 31 crore traded during the day, compared to Tk 29 crore in the previous session.

Bangladesh Lamps PLC led the CSE gainers, rising close to 10 per cent, while Envoy Textiles Limited posted the sharpest decline, losing 10 per cent.