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Stock turnover plunged to nearly one-month low to Tk 3.72 billion on Wednesday, as the nation-wide blockade enforced by the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami turned investors jittery.
Most investors remained cautious while some rebalanced their portfolios based on latest earnings disclosures amid a gloomy market outlook stemming from prevailing macroeconomic and political concerns, said market experts.
Investor participation was thin on the trading floor on the second-day countrywide blockade, while a small number of investors executed trade by placing orders remotely through phone calls or using mobile app.
Meanwhile, RN Spinning Mills and Far Chemical Industries saw an unusual price jump on Wednesday, the first trading day after amalgamation with their sister concerns.
RN Spinning's stock soared 274 per cent to Tk 23.20 while Far Chemicals' share jumped 195 per cent to 31.30 on Wednesday.
However, RN Spinning and Far Chimerical stock price fell 9.73 per cent and 9.80 per cent if the adjusted opening price were considered, according to the DSE.
A DSE official said RN Spinning's post-merger adjusted opening price was Tk 25.70 while Far Chemical's adjusted price was Tk 34.70 on Wednesday as their number of shares came down after amalgamation.
In a stock exchange filing, the DSE requested the TREC holders to trade cautiously while trading in RN Spinning and Far Chemical on behalf of their clients and ensure that the clients' shareholding status was in line with the Central Depository of Bangladesh Ltd.
RN Spinning merged with Samin Food and Beverage Industries and Textile Mills, the non-listed company while Far Chemical merged with SF Textile Industries.
All four companies belong to the FAR Group, with RN Spinning and FAR Chemical being listed on the stock exchanges.
DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went down almost 5 points to 6,273, after gaining 3.40 points in the past three days.
The DSES Index, which represents Shariah based companies, fell 2.31 points to 1,360. However, the DS30 Index, which consists of blue-chip companies, saw a fractional gain of 0.11 point to 2,134.
According to EBL Securities, stocks witnessed a downbeat session with a considerable decrease in market participation, as investors preferred to remain on the sidelines owing to the prevailing volatility in the market.
The losers took a strong lead over the gainers as out of total 309 issues traded, 92 declined, 50 advanced, and 167 remained unchanged.
The food sector dominated the day's turnover chart, accounting for 20 per cent of the day's total turnover, followed by general insurance and pharmaceuticals.
Small-cap stocks dominated the turnover list with Sea Pearl Beach Resorts becoming the most-traded stocks, with shares worth Tk 238 million changing hands, followed by Bangladesh Monospool Paper, Orion Infusions, Fu-Wang Foods and Emerald Oil Industries.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), however, ended higher with its All Share Price Index (CASPI) gaining 7 points to settle at 18,596 and the Selective Categories Index (CSCX) gaining 7 points to close at 11,119.