DSE, CSE end in the black although most shares fall

The Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges rose marginally yesterday, snapping a three-day declining trend.
However, most of the shares on the bourses declined for the fourth consecutive day amid cautious trading by investors, who are concerned about the deteriorating exchange rates, the rising inflation, and worldwide economic turmoil.
The DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, added 7.34 points, 0.11 per cent, to close at 6,496.
The DSES, the shariah-based index, gained 0.15 per cent to 1,415, while the DS30, the index that consists of blue-chip companies, inched up 0.29 per cent to 2,323.
Turnover, however, fell more than 6 per cent to Tk 1,484 crore. 
"Some of the investors preferred to book profit while others took the opportunity of buying stocks at lucrative prices," said International Leasing Securities Ltd, a brokerage house, in its daily market review.
Shares of only 71 companies gained on the DSE, while 114 retreated, and 186 were unchanged. 
Among the sectors, ceramic was up 3.6 per cent, and financial institutions rose 1.3 per cent. On the contrary, travel lost 3.1 per cent, paper declined 1 per cent, and general insurance gave up 0.3 per cent, according to the brokerage house. 
Investors' activity was mostly centred on pharmaceuticals and engineering, which accounted for 16.3 per cent and 9.5 per cent of the turnover, respectively. 
The Caspi, the all-share index of the bourse in the port city, rose 16 points, or 0.08 per cent, to end the day at 19,180.
Of the securities, only 60 advanced, 77 went down, and 109 remained unchanged. Turnover fell slightly to Tk 101 crore.