Stocks posted a marginal gain on Wednesday, snapping a two-day losing streak, as some investors showed buying interest on sector-specific issues.
The market opened on a positive note and the key index rose about 40 points within the first two hours of trading but failed to sustain that level as investors opted for booking profit on sector-wise stocks.
Finally, DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went up by 6.92 points or 0.09 per cent to settle at 7,043, after losing 53 points in the past two consecutive sessions.
Two other indices also edged higher. The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, gained 9.34 points to finish at 2,598 and the DSE Shariah Index advanced 1.20 points to close at 1,521.
Turnover, the most important indicator of the market, stood at Tk 12.13 billion, which was 1.46 per cent lower than the previous day’s tally of Tk 12.31 billion.
Market analysts said stocks ended almost flat as investors were active on both sides of the trading fence.
The cautious investors continued to realise a gain on sector-specific large-cap stocks while some rebalance their portfolios based on the latest earnings declarations, they said.
Losers took a modest lead over the gainers, as out of 377 issues traded, 162 declined, 139 advanced and 76 issues remained unchanged on the DSE.
A total number of 220,210 trades were executed in the day’s trading session with a trading volume of 237.52 million securities.
Beximco, which gained 3.8 per cent, was the most traded stock with shares worth over Tk 1.37 billion changing hands, followed by Fortune Shoes (Tk 502), Orion Pharma (Tk 458), Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (Tk 446 million) and Saif Powertec (Tk 384 million).
Stylecraft was the day’s top gainer, posting a 9.93 per cent rise while Tamijuddin Textile Mills was the worst loser, losing 7.30 per cent.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also edged higher with the CSE All Share Price Index – CASPI –gaining 31 points to settle at 20,634 and the Selective Categories Index – CSCX—rising 16 points to close at 12,386.
Of the issues traded, 145 declined, 118 advanced and 45 issues remained unchanged on the CSE.
The port city bourse traded 9.95 million shares and mutual fund units with a turnover value of Tk 293 million.
