Stocks opened marginally lower on Thursday as cautious investors book profits on sector-wise issues amid lockdown.
The presence of investors on the trading floor remained very thin due to the ongoing lockdown and reduced trading hours. Most investors executed their trading online or through mobile apps.
The brokerage houses also discourage clients from rushing into the brokerage house and encourage more for trading through mobile apps and other internet-based devices amid the pandemic.
The market opened on a negative trend and the DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), dropped 8.31 points or 0.15 per cent to stand at 5,414 within the first 45 minutes of trading.
Market analysts said some investors were opted for booking profits on quick-gaining stocks.
However, lucrative price levels of many stocks coupled with lowering the circuit breaker limit to 2.0 per cent from the existing 10 per cent for 66 companies encouraged some investors to take positions on these stocks.
The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, also lost 8.31 points to reach 2,075 points and the Shariah Index (DSES) lost 8.14 points to stand 1,230 points till then.
Turnover, another important indicator of the market, stood at Tk 2.93 billion within the first 30 minutes of trading when the report was filed at 10:45 am.
Of the issues traded till then, 110 advanced, 134 declined and 82 remained unchanged on the DSE trading floor till then.
Beximco - the flagship company of Beximco Group- was the most traded stock till then with shares worth Tk 562 million changing hands, followed by Beximco, Beximco Pharma, BD Finance, and Asia Pacific Insurance.
The port city bourse – the Chittagong Stock Exchange – (CSE) also opened marginally lower with CSE All Share Price Index- CASPI-losing 39 points to stand at 15,671, also at 10:45 am.
Of the issues traded till then 49 advanced, 60 declined and 29 remained unchanged with Tk 58 million in turnover.
