Dhaka stocks finished positive on Wednesday, extending the gaining streak to three-day, despite sluggish trading in the late hours following news of some enforcement actions taken by the regulator. The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,575.50 points, adding 0.27 per cent or 12.53 points. The DSEX gained around 70 points in the last three trading sessions after it had lost 198 points in the previous six.
Market operators said the market started on a positive note on the day as an increased foreign investment at the bourse in April and the start of loan disbursement by the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh to the small-scale investors affected by the market crash kept the investors optimistic.
The DSEX crossed the 4,600-point mark within first one and a half hours of trading, they said.
But, the trading at the bourse became sluggish after the period following news of some enforcement actions published on the DSE web site, operators said.
According to the DSE web posts, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has fined several individual investors and entities in connection with the share price manipulation during stock market bubble in 2009-2010.
Operators said share prices of some large capitalised and multinational companies dropped on Wednesday.
Non-bank financial institutions, small and mid capitalised companies, however, got an increased attention from investors as some companies showed better performance in their respective first quarterly reports, they said.
DS30, the blue-chip index of the bourse, increased by 0.52 per cent, or 8.80 points, to finish at 1,677.79 points.
The Shariah index of the bourse, DSES, finished at 1,014.90 points, adding 0.43 per cent or 4.31 points.
Turnover at the bourse declined to Tk 419.13 crore from Tk 447.95 crore in the previous trading session.
‘Yesterday’s [Tuesday] enthusiasm prevailed at the beginning but turned into infrequent profit booking at later part,’ IDLC Investment said in its daily market commentary.
It said, ‘During today [Wednesday], some specific large caps were in upbeat mood.’
Of the 294 shares and mutual funds traded, 175 advanced, 93 declined and 26 remained unchanged.
Grameenphone led the turnover leaders on Wednesday with its shares worth Tk 45.53 crore changing hands.
Appollo Ispat, Active Fine Chemicals, Meghna Petroleum, Golden Son, Square Pharmaceuticals, Olympic Industries, Matin Spinning Mills, Lafarge Surma Cement and Heidelberg Cement were among the other turnover leaders.
BD Thai Aluminium gained the most on the day with an 8.29-per cent increase in its share price, while NCC Bank lost the most, shedding 8 per cent.
-With New Age input
