Dhaka stocks finished flat on Thursday, the last trading session of the week, with a decreased turnover as investors remained shaky amid a dawn-to-dusk general strike enforced by the BNP-led alliance. The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,956.09 points, adding 0.08 per cent or 4.40 points on the day. Turnover at the bourse, however, dropped to Tk 331.07 crore on the day compared with that of Tk 390.64 crore in the previous trading session.
The market finished positive in volatile trading as investors kept a watchful eye on the developments on the political front amid a countrywide general strike enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance, stockbrokers said.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance enforced the strike in protest at the attack on a senior BNP leader, Reaz Rahman, amid the ongoing blockade being enforced by the alliance.
Despite investors’ scepticism, the market finished positive due to support from some government-owned entities, stockbrokers said.
They also said that the next course of market movement would depend on the developments on the political front.
DS30, the blue-chip index of the bourse, finished at 1,839.39 points, shedding 0.06 per cent or 1.27 points.
The Shariah index of the DSE, DSES, fell by 0.04 per cent, or 0.54 points, to close at 1,174.35 points on the day.
Of the 310 shares and mutual funds traded on the day, 127 advanced, 136 declined and 47 remained unchanged.
‘The market closed flat as investors still remained cautious over political issues,’ said IDLC Investments in its daily market commentary.
‘However, positive economic expectation reinforced by the World Bank’s optimistic growth forecast counterbalanced,’ IDLC said.
‘It was a day of consolidation for the market as the benchmark index closed marginally higher,’ LankaBangla Securities said in its daily market analysis.
Tense over the countrywide hartal tampered the gain in early trading, it said.
‘Though political fracas dampened the market sentiment, banking stocks led gain in the DSEX at the close of trading,’ it said.
Bangladesh Building Systems led the turnover leaders with its shares worth Tk 17.54 crore changing hands.
IDLC Finance, Saif Powertec, Titas Gas, Western Marine Shipyard, Grameenphone, Envoy Textiles, Square Pharmaceuticals and Agni Systems were among the other turnover leaders.
Wata Chemicals gained the most on the day with a-6.59 per cent increase in its share price, while Zeal Bangla Sugar Mills was the worst loser on the day, shedding 7.22 per cent.
-With New Age input
