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Stocks ended lower on Tuesday as investors went on a panic sell-offs right from the start of the trading, fearing a further fall amid the ongoing curfew.
The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) decrease 95.66 points to settle at 5,351, which is the biggest fell of DSE index in last 21 months.
Trading and official activities on the bourses resumed on Wednesday after a three-day break, in line with the reopening of banks as broadband internet connection was resorted on Tuesday night after a five-day blackout.
However, stock trading time was cut down to 3 hours from 11:00am to 2:00pm instead of 10:00am to 2:20pm due to reduced banking hours, said a DSE official.
The stock market remained closed for three days to Tuesday as transactions on banks remained closed due to general public holidays.
The general holidays come amid unrest and subsequent curfew enforced by the government since Friday midnight as anti-quota protest and violence speared across the country, leaving more than 150 people dead.
The blue-chip index DS30, a group of 30 prominent companies, saw a 37.28-point decrease to 1908.52, while the DSES Index, which represents Shariah-based companies, saw an 21.87-point decrease to 1,169.56 till the end.
Turnover, a crucial indicator of the market, stood at Tk 1.59 billion, down 57 per cent from the previous trading day.
This turnover is the lowest in last 1.5 years.
The majority of the stocks saw a price decline, as out of the 390 issues traded, 20 closed higher, 355 ended lower, and 15 remained unchanged on the DSE trading floor.
Libra Infusions Limited was the most-traded stock with shares worth Tk 52.32 million changing hands, followed by BRAC Bank, Grameenphone ltd, Agni Systems Ltd. and British American Tobacco Bangladesh Company Limited.