Stocks fall after two-day rise

Major indices of the stock market in Bangladesh fell today, snapping a two-day gaining streak as investors cautiously traded select shares to pocket short-term gains amid price fluctuations resulting from earnings disclosures by listed companies.

The DSEX, which reflects the cumulative value of shares listed at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), receded by about 0.50 percent from the previous trading session to close at 5,328 points.

The DSES, an indicator of how Shariah-compliant companies are performing, saw a similar decline as it retreated by 0.55 percent to settle at 1,182 points.

Likewise, the DS30 representing stock values in the blue-chip category edged down by 0.48 percent to end at 1,976 points.

Of the issues traded at the DSE today, 150 notched a rise in share value while that of 185 closed lower and the remaining 48 did not see any price fluctuation.

The DSE's daily turnover, which indicates the combined value of shares traded at the country's premier bourse, decreased by 12.21 percent from the previous trading session to Tk 506 crore.

The pharmaceuticals sector made the biggest contribution by accounting for 14.76 percent of the total.

In terms of sectoral performance, jute, services and real estate, and life insurance were the top three to close in positive territory, UCB Stock Brokerage said in its market update.

The telecom, non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), and travel and leisure sectors were the top three to close in negative territory.

The large-cap sector comprising companies with high market capitalisation, which refers to the value of their outstanding shares, posted a mixed performance, according to BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage.

The fuel and power sector notched the highest gain of 0.95 percent, followed by Food and Allied with 0.45 percent and pharmaceuticals with 0.08 percent.

On the other hand, the engineering sector logged the deepest loss of 0.84 percent, followed by the banking sector with 0.93 percent, NBFIs with 1.14 percent and telecommunication with 1.41 percent.

Block trades, meaning high-volume securities transactions that are privately negotiated and executed outside of the open market, contributed 3.2 percent to the DSE's total turnover.

Far East Knitting and Dyeing Industries emerged as the most traded share with turnover of Tk 203 crore.

Investors were largely interested in shares of Beximco Pharmaceuticals, Kohinoor Chemicals, BAT Bangladesh, Navan Pharma, Confidence Cement, Summit Alliance Port, Eastern Housing, JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing, Aftab Automobiles and Pubali Bank.

However, none of these companies saw double-digit growth in their share value as Beximco Pharmaceuticals showcased the highest gain among them with 3.03 percent.

Meanwhile, the shares of Islami Bank Bangladesh, Square Pharmaceuticals, Grameenphone, BRAC Bank, Best Holdings, Beacon Pharmaceuticals, Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills, Prime Bank, United Commercial Bank and BSRM Steels suffered losses.

Among the companies that shed their share value, Islami Bank lost the most with its price declining by 9.95 percent.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed a similar trend as the CSE All-Share Price Index, the main index of the port city bourse, plunged by 0.14 percent to settle at 14,859 points.