Stocks opened lower on Monday as the cautious investors continued their selling binge on major sector issues amid fears over the impact of the new coronavirus variant Omicron.
Bangladesh on Saturday reported the first two cases of the new coronavirus strain that has already spread to nearly 80 countries since its first detection in South Africa about a month ago.
DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), slid 33.65 points or 0.48 per cent to stand at 6,886, after the first hour of trading at 11:00am.
DSEX lost over 64 points the previous day.
Two other DSE indices also saw downward trends till then. The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, fell 19.44 points to stand at 2,584 and the Shariah Index (DSES) shed 5.88 points to stand at 1,461 till then.
Turnover, another important indicator of the market, stood at Tk 1.80 billion within the first hour of trading at 11:00 am.
Market analysts said the investors have been struggling with a lack of confidence due to the recent tussle between the central bank and the stock market, while the maiden case of omicron infection in the country is adding worries to the investors.
Of the issues traded till then, 183 advanced, 122 declined and 64 issues remained unchanged on the DSE trading floor.
ONE Bank was the most traded stock till the filing of their report with shares worth Tk 200 million changing hands, followed by Beximco, GSP Finance, Eastern Lubricants and Saif Powertec.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange also opened lower with its All Shares Price Index (CASPI)—losing 59 points to stand at 20,206 while the Selective Categories Index – CSCX shedding 36 points to reach 12,139, also at 11:00 am.
Of the issues traded till then, 44 advanced, 57 declined and 15 remained unchanged with Tk 44 million in turnover.