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The Dhaka bourse closed flat on Wednesday after day-long volatility as a section of investors took fresh positions in sector specific stocks while others adopted cautious moves.
The major sectors' performance was mixed as they were on both sides of marginal appreciation and marginal correction.
Of them, pharmaceuticals & chemicals, fuel & power, and services & real estate declined marginally while general and life insurance, travel & leisure, engineering and food & allied advanced slightly.
Except for the food & allied sector, investors' participation in other major sectors was thin on the premier bourse.
Market operators said investors took fresh positions in sector specific stocks in anticipation of quick capital gains.
On the other hand, many investors were in a selling mood to secure short-term gains.
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) opened the day's session positively and the DSE broad index DSEX went down below the starting mark within an hour of the session.
Later, the DSEX exhibited a flat movement for more than two hours. Half an hour before the market closure the broad index experienced a momentum to close marginally higher after a single-day break.
At the end of the session, the DSEX settled at 6,293 points with a rise of 0.03 per cent or 2.14 points.
EBL Securities in a market review said the broad index observed a mere flat movement as investors were on both sides of the trading fence.
The numbers of the day's gainers and losers were almost the same while a majority of the stocks remained unchanged on the DSE.
The DS30 index also closed flat following a mixed performance of the blue chip companies.
Square Pharmaceuticals slid marginally for the second consecutive session. In the last two sessions, the company' share price declined by Tk 0.50 to close at Tk 211.
On Wednesday, small-cap companies experienced more appreciation compared to large-cap ones.
Small-cap companies having weak fundamentals were also in the bottom line of price correction.
Miracle Industries, which saw correction since August 24, became the day's number four loser. Before August 24, the company's share price jumped 52 per cent in just seven sessions following an announcement of production resumption. Experts termed the hike irrational.
Of the 303 issues traded on the DSE, 73 advanced, 74 declined and 156 were unchanged on Wednesday.
The Dhaka exchange posted a turnover of Tk 4.13 billion, 5.59 per cent up from the previous session.
Investors' participation was concentrated mostly on the food & allied sector, followed by miscellaneous and engineering sectors.
Daffodil Computers was the number one gainer with an appreciation of 9.96 per cent, while Gemini Sea Food was the worst loser after declining 2.25 per cent.
Of the multinational companies, which recently saw a price increase, declined slightly on Wednesday.
The companies include Berger Paints Bangladesh, Marico Bangladesh, and Heidelberg Cement Bangladesh.