Dhaka Stock Exchange trade falls below Tk 4bn

Pharmaceuticals and chemicals sector companies contribute most to turnovers, but still fall short of their average daily trade

The Dhaka Stock Exchange has seen trading volume plunge below Tk 4 billion for three straight days, mostly sustaining a mixed trend through this period.

On Sunday, the turnovers sharply fell to Tk 3.51 billion, recording a 22-point drop in the broad index from 5,097 points the previous day.

Trading at the largest capital market in the country has been declining for the past five days. The DSEX index last rose on Apr 10, registering 5,025 points at the close.

Over the past five trading days, it has lost 130 points.

Trading began in the morning and matched that of the previous day in the first hour.

But along with rising selling pressure, the index continued correcting its price. In the end, the index could not maintain its position.

On Apr 10, shares worth Tk 5.40 billion changed hands on the DSE. On Apr 13, the following Sunday, Tk 4.14 billion was traded on the market.

The capital market was closed on Monday due to the Bengali New Year holiday. After that, Tk 4.46 billion was traded on Tuesday, Tk 3.96 billion on Wednesday, and Tk 3.39 billion on Thursday.

According to DSE data, out of the 396 companies that participated in trades, 101 saw share prices increase, 243 decreased, and 52 companies and funds combined remained at the previous price.

The pharmaceutical and chemical sectors contributed the most to DSE trades, with the sector accounting for 12.98 percent or Tk 400 million. Despite being at the top, the sector's trading volume decreased significantly compared to normal times.

According to DSE data, listed companies under the pharmaceutical and chemical sector typically exchanged shares worth over Tk 600 million daily on average.

It is immediately followed by the banking sector, which traded Tk 384 million ahead of the insurance sector's Tk 369.2 million.

At the end of the day, S Alam Cold Rolled Steels, Sena Insurance and Shinepukur Ceramics closed the day with the highest gains.