The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) ended the week on a strong note, with turnover reaching Tk 540 crore yesterday — the highest in one and a half months.

This marked a 2.46 percent increase from the previous day's trading, reflecting a slight uptick in investor activity.

The pharmaceuticals sector led the market in activity, topping the turnover chart by contributing 17.07 percent.

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation emerged as the most-traded share, with a turnover of Tk 38.3 crore, accounting for 4.0 percent of the day's total turnover.

The last comparable high in turnover was Tk 607 crore on 25 February.

Yesterday, for the first time in the week, all the indices of the DSE posted gains as optimistic investors cautiously channelled funds into selective stocks, aiming for short-term gains. This followed news that the US administration under Donald Trump had announced a 90-day halt on reciprocal tariffs.

Washington abruptly backed down on Wednesday from its aggressive global trade stance, implementing a 90-day tariff suspension for selected nations, while simultaneously raising tariffs to 125 percent against China — escalating an already intense trade conflict between the world's two largest economies.

Trump's administration had previously imposed a 37 percent reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi goods entering the us market, which was scheduled to take effect from April 9. However, with the new halt, Bangladesh is temporarily exempted.

Investors responded positively to the news, buying into large-cap stocks from the opening session of trading, which resumed on Sunday after a nine-day Eid holiday.

The DSEX, the benchmark index of the DSE, rose by 9.19 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 5,205. Similarly, the Shariah-compliant deses index gained 3.27 points, or 0.27 percent, to settle at 1,172, while the ds30 index of blue-chip stocks advanced 5.91 points, or 0.31 percent, finishing at 1,927.

Of the 395 issues traded on the DSE, prices of 149 advanced, 168 declined, and the remaining saw no price movement.

At the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), the CSE All-Share Price Index (CASPI), the broad index of the port city bourse, fell by 20.99 points, or 0.14 percent — marking the second decline since trading resumed on Sunday following the Eid break.

In the individual company category, Eastern Cables was the day's top gainer, surging 9 percent, while FAS Finance & Investment recorded the sharpest fall, dropping 5 percent.

In its market update, UCB Stock Brokerage reported that cement, travel & leisure, and textiles were the top three sectors closing in positive territory. In contrast, paper & printing, ceramics, and life insurance were the top three sectors ending in the red.

Most large-cap sectors — those with substantial market capitalisation — closed negatively, according to a market update from BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage. The non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) sector posted the highest loss at 0.50 percent, followed by food & allied (0.42 percent), engineering (0.30 percent), fuel & power (0.23 percent), and banking (0.19 percent).

However, the telecommunications sector posted a marginal gain of 0.01 percent, while pharmaceuticals recorded a 0.50 percent gain.