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The Dhaka Stock Exchange has closed higher after a roller-coaster trading session, with the key index gaining 28 points as buying in bank and pharmaceutical shares helped the market recover from midday losses.
On Thursday, the DSEX, the benchmark index of the country’s main bourse, opened at 5,363.94 points and ended the day at 5,392 points. Turnover stood at Tk 9.52 billion, slightly down from the previous day’s Tk 9.87 billion. Of this, Tk 1.91 billion came from block market transactions.
Trading began positively, but within 21 minutes, the index slipped into negative territory as investors booked profits. By the end of the first hour, however, a wave of buying pushed the index up by 47 points to 5,411.
Renewed selling pressure around midday pulled the index back down, even dipping 3 points below the previous day’s close. But the tide turned again when turnover in bank stocks spiked sharply around 12:15 pm, sparking a rebound that lasted through the closing bell.
Turnover momentum has been building since early July. After hovering below Tk 5 billion since May, daily trading crossed Tk 6 billion on Jul 8 and Tk 7 billion on Jul 16. On Wednesday, turnover approached the Tk 10 billion mark.
Despite Thursday's index gain, the number of declining stocks slightly exceeded gainers, and market capitalisation fell by Tk 3.41 billion, settling at Tk 7.08 trillion. The previous day, the bourse had added Tk 54.49 billion in value.
Out of 398 traded issues, 161 advanced, 171 declined, and 66 remained unchanged, reports bdnews24.com.
The banking sector dominated trading, accounting for Tk 2.18 billion in turnover, slightly below Wednesday’s Tk 2.30 billion, but still more than triple its typical daily average of Tk 600–700 million.
This marks two straight sessions of turnover above Tk 2 billion in the sector.
Pharmaceuticals and chemicals came second with Tk 1.21 billion, while insurance ranked third at Tk 777 million.
Trust Islami Life Insurance, Bank Asia, and Express Insurance were the top gainers at the close, while Heidelberg Cement, Keya Cosmetics, and RAK Ceramics saw the steepest losses.