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Stocks ended on Thursday, the last trading session of this year, with a positive note as investors continued their buying appetite on selective large-cap stocks.
Market insiders said the investors were active on sector-wise issues amid new hope in New Year 2019.
The bourses will remain closed for the last four days of the outgoing calendar year due to national elections (December 30), Bank holiday (December 31) and weekly holidays (December 28, 29).
The markets kept gaining as the securities regulator on Wednesday relaxed the margin rules for another two years and allowed stockbrokers and merchant bankers to conduct transactions in their clients’ margin accounts, said an leading broker.
DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at 5,385, advancing 36.46 points or 0.68 per cent over the previous day.
DSEX added more than 166 points in the past seven consecutive trading sessions.
Bullish sentiment also reflected in the trading activities as total turnover amounting to Tk 5.38 billion, which was 39 per cent higher than the previous day’s Tk 3.88 billion.
The two other indices ended higher. The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, advanced 13.10 points to finish at 1,880 and the DSES (Shariah) index gained 6.06 points to settle at 1,232.
A total number of 126,318 trades were executed in the day’s trading session with trading volume of 137.75 million shares and mutual fund units.
The market cap of DSE increased to Tk 3,872 billion which was Tk 3,851 billion in the previous day.
The gainers took a modest lead over the losers as out of 344 issues traded, 182 closed higher, 108 ended lower and 54 issues remained unchanged on the DSE trading floor.
Brac Bank topped the day’s turnover chart with shares worth Tk 202 million changing hands, closely followed by United Power, Beximco, National Life Insurance and Paramount Textile.
Premier Cement was the day’s best performer, posting a gain of 8.97 per cent while Monno Jute Stafflers was the day’s worst loser, shedding 4.73 per cent.
The port city bourse CSE ended higher with the CSE All Share Price Index – CASPI – gaining 90 points to settle at 16,449 while the Selective Categories Index – CSCX –advancing 53 points to finish at 9,947.
Here too, the gainers beat the losers as 132 issues closed higher, 93 ended higher and 38 remained unchanged.
The port city bourse traded 10.72 million shares and mutual fund units worth Tk 415 million in turnover.