Average daily turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was 53.57 percent higher last week compared to that in the preceding week as cautious investors opted to sell off their shares to make short-term profits.

The weekly data of the country's premier bourse showed that the participation of the investors was considerably higher as they were highly optimistic of the market in the days ahead.

Shares worth Tk 1,282.2 crore changed hands every day on an average last week whereas it was worth Tk 834.9 crore in the preceding week.

However, over the course of the past five trading days, the benchmark index of the DSE had lost 20.97 points, closing the week at 5,903.

Similarly, the DSES index for the Shariah-based companies also lost 10.19 points, ending at 1,264 points.

For the DS30 index comprising the blue-chip firms, it was a setback of 46.62 points to 2,179 points.

Sector-wise, telecommunication, life insurance, food and allied, non-banking financial institutions (NBFI), banks and cement ended up in the positive.

Telecommunication experienced the highest gain of 15.91 percent, the only sector to secure a double-digit growth.

Life insurance posted a gain of 6.96 percent followed by food and allied (3.46 percent), non-banking financial institutions (2.73 percent), banks (0.98 percent) and cement (0.88 percent).

However, textile, travel and leisure, fuel and power, information technology (IT), engineering, services and real estate, ceramics, jute, and paper and printing ended up in the negative.

Of them, paper and printing saw the highest loss of 8.97 percent.

Jute logged a loss of 7.85 percent followed by ceramics (7.37 percent), services and real estate (5.36 percent), engineering (3.38 percent), IT (2.83 percent), and fuel and power (2.61 percent).

Grameenphone, the country's leading mobile operator in terms of the number of customers, was the most-traded stock last week with an average daily turnover of Tk 100.3 crore.

BRAC Bank, Square Pharmaceuticals, BAT Bangladesh Company, Robi Axiata, IFIC Bank, City Bank, Techno Drugs, Unilever Consumer Care and AB Bank were also on the list of stocks with the highest average daily turnovers.

Islamic Finance and Investment topped another chart of stocks that made the highest gains over last week thanks to a rise of 47.27 percent.

Pragati Life Insurance, Phoenix Finance, The Dacca Dyeing and Manufacturing Company, AB Bank, Premier Leasing and Finance, HeidelbergCement Bangladesh, Fareast Life Insurance, First Finance, and United Commercial Bank also displayed a strong performance.

QB Ball Pen shed the most over last week, losing 13.99 percent.

Hami Industries, Navana Pharmaceuticals, Sonali Paper and Board Mills, Global Heavy Chemicals, Emerald Oil Industries, Salvo Chemicals, Deshbandhu Consumer and Agro Products, Shinepukur Ceramics, and Central Pharmaceuticals also suffered losses.