Bangladesh stocks snapped a recent gaining streak with hefty losses on Monday, the first day of trading after a long weekend, tempering early optimism stemming from the debut of treasury bonds and bills on the bourses.
According to bdnews24.com, only 19 stocks climbed on Monday, while 167 fell and another 182 remained unchanged, most of which were already at the floor price.
The key index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, dropped below the 6,500-point mark for the first time since late September, losing 119 points, or 1.82 per cent, to close at 6,449.
The DSEX posted its biggest single-day loss this year on Mar 7, when it fell 2.74% to 6,638. The index has not seen such a decline in one day since the regulator reintroduced an emergency circuit-breaker rule on Jul 28.
The Chattogram Stock Exchange also ended in red on the first working day of the week. Its main index, the CSCX, shed 170 points, or 1.47 per cent, to 11,419 as prices dropped across the board.
However, the CSE's turnover rose to Tk 195.8 million, from the previous day's Tk 189.1 million.
The mood around the capital market was positive at the start of the day as government bonds and bills began trading on a trial basis on the Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges.
Over 250 treasury bonds are listed for trading. Brokerage houses have not yet received word on when these securities will begin trading regularly. Government securities are traded separately on the DSE and CSE websites.