Stocks end lower after Eid holidays

Stocks ended marginally lower on Monday, the first session after Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, as investors sold shares, sector-wise.

Trading and official activities on the bourses remained closed from June 13 to June 17 on the occasion of the biggest religious festival of the Muslims.

The presence of the investors was thin on the trading floor as many investors are yet to resume businesses in Dhaka after enjoying Eid holidays in rural areas.

However, many of them executed trading over telephone and DSE mobile apps.

This day, the market started on a positive note, with DSEX, benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) gaining about 8.0 points within first 15 minutes of trading.

However, it was volatile in the rest of the session when DSEX fell nearly 24 points and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE)’s CSE All Share Price Index lost 56 points.

The DSEX settled at 5,341, losing nearly 24 points, or 0.44 per cent, over the previous session.

Of two other indexes of the premier bourse, DS30, comprising blue chips, also fell 16 points to finish at 1942 points, and DSE Shariah index advanced 1.15 points to close at 1,239 points.

Overall trading activities increased slightly, with the turnover on the DSE floor reaching Tk 4.85 billion, 6.12 per cent higher than the previous session’s Tk 4.57 billion.

The losers took a modest lead over the gainers as out of 334 issues traded, 175 closed lower, 125 closed higher and 34 remained unchanged on the main trading floor.

Alif Industries topped the DSE turnover chart with shares worth Tk 321 million changing hands, closely followed by Delta Brac Housing Finance, Grameenphone, Khulna Power Company and United Power.

The CSE also closed lower with its CSE All Share Price Index - CAPSI - losing 56 points to settle at 16,449 and Selective Categories Index - CSCX - shedding 35 points to finish at 9,946 points.

Here too, the losers beat the gainers as 105 issues closed lower, 76 higher and 21 issues remained unchanged on the CSE.

The port city bourse traded 2.92 million shares and mutual fund units worth more than Tk 117 million in turnover.

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