Dhaka stocks fell on Sunday, the opening day of the week, after advancing in the previous session, as investors were anxious about the market momentum, market operators said.
DSEX, the key index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, decreased by 29.92 points, or 0.55 per cent, to close at 5,383.72 points on Sunday, after increasing by 62.81 points in the previous session.
The DSE operated from 10.00am to 1.50pm on the day in line with to the curfew relaxation period, instead of its regular trading hours, from 10.00am to 2.30pm.
Md Sajedul Islam, managing director of Shyamol Equity Management, said that, stocks witnessed a fall as investors were still unnerved about the recent incidents in the country.
The key index on Sunday started the session with a jump, but fell soon and maintained the downward trend till the end of the session to finish in the red zone.
The total turnover of the Dhaka bourse decreased to Tk聽488.38 crore compared with that of Tk聽497.34 crore in the previous session.
Market operators said that a portion of investors chose to adopt a cautious approach, staying on the sidelines and closely monitoring market movements.
Of the 392 issues traded on Sunday, 88 advanced, 261 declined and 43 remained unchanged.
The DSE Shariah index decreased by 5.65 points, or 0.47 per cent, to close at 1,177.71 points on the day.
The DS30 index lost 11.51 points, or 0.59 per cent, to finish at 1,921.25 points.
On the sectoral front, bank issues exerted the highest turnover, followed by the pharmaceutical and textile shares.
EBL Securities in its daily commentary said, 鈥楾he market pulse remained downbeat, with the majority of scrips sliding into red territory as cautious investors still shied away from taking positions in equities amidst uncertainties regarding the market鈥檚 outlook.鈥�
鈥楬owever, particular large-cap stocks from bank and telecom sectors witnessed price appreciation that somewhat provided a cushion against the plunge of the benchmark index,鈥� it added.
Agni Systems topped the turnover chart on the day with its shares worth Tk聽28.71 crore changing hands.
NRB Bank, Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries, Midland Bank, Taufika Foods and Lovello Ice-cream, Sea Pearl Beach Resort & Spa, Prime Finance First Mutual Fund and Global Islami Bank were the other turnover leaders.