Dhaka stocks fell for the second consecutive session on Monday, as a section of investors continued selling shares to protect their funds amid the ongoing uncertainty and volatility on the market, market operators said.
DSEX, the key index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, decreased by 53.47 points, or 0.99 per cent, to close at 5,330.24 points on the day, after decreasing by 29.92 points in the previous session.
The DSE operated from 10.00am to 1.50pm on Monday and in the previous session instead of its regular trading hours, from 10.00am to 2.30pm, in line with the relaxation of the ongoing curfew.
The government imposed the curfew in the country from midnight past July 19 as unrests over the quota reform protests escalated.
The curfew was relaxed on July 24, allowing offices, banks and stock exchanges to operate for a particular period in line with the easing.
Stockbrokers said that the market witnessed a decrease as investors were still anxious about the recent incidents in the country.
The key index on Monday started the session flat, and witnessed a fall soon after, then maintained the downward trend till the end of the session to finish in the negative trajectory.
The total turnover of the Dhaka bourse decreased to Tk 450.18 crore on Monday compared with that of Tk聽488.38 crore in the previous session.
Market operators observed that some investors decided to be cautious, staying out of the market and watching its movements closely.
Of the 392 issues traded on Monday, 27 advanced, 332 declined and 33 remained unchanged.
The DSE Shariah index decreased by 11.30 points, or 0.95 per cent, to close at 1,166.41 points on the day.
The DS30 index lost 18.51 points, or 0.96 per cent, to finish at 1,902.74 points.
On the sectoral front, pharmaceutical issues exerted the highest turnover, followed by the bank and food shares.
EBL Securities in its daily commentary said, 鈥楾he market stayed on red trajectory for most of Monday鈥檚 session as sellers remained dominant across the trading floor since investors are wary of the market momentum due to the prevalent downbeat vibe.鈥�
Agni Systems topped the turnover chart on the day with its shares worth Tk 27.55 crore changing hands.
Orion Infusion, NRB Bank, Square Pharmaceuticals, Gemini Sea Food, Unilever Consumer Care, BRAC Bank, Rupali Life Insurance, Salvo Chemical Industry, and Taufika Foods and Lovello Ice-cream were the other turnover leaders.