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The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has surged, with the benchmark index posting its biggest single-day gain in weeks before the national election.
The DSEX, the broad index of the premier bourse, climbed by 82 points on Tuesday to settle at 5,399, bdnews24.com reports.
This surge marks a notable rise from the previous day's 5,311 points and represents the highest single-day gain since Jan 15, when the index rose by 76 points.
With the government declaring a public holiday on Wednesday, Tuesday served as the final trading session before the country heads to the polls on Feb 12.
Markets, along with banks and other offices, are scheduled to reopen on Feb 15 following the election and the weekend break.
As a new political government is expected to take the helm shortly after the vote, Tuesday effectively concluded the stock market's journey under the interim administration.
During the Muhammad Yunus administration's tenure, which began following the July Uprising in August 2024, the primary index has advanced by a total of 170 points.
On Aug 4 that year, the day before the fall of the Awami League government, the DSEX stood at 5,229 points.
By the close of Tuesday's session, total market capitalisation reached Tk 7.09 trillion, an increase of Tk 635.32 billion from the Tk 6.45 trillion recorded in August 2025.
The trading day began with an upward trend, though it encountered two brief periods of volatility.
The index initially peaked at 5,373 at 11am before a spell of profit-taking caused a slight dip.
Buying pressure, however, resumed after 1pm, driving the market steadily higher until the end of the session.
On Sunday, the first trading day of the week, the index had dipped slightly by 5 points to settle at 5,229.
Out of the 392 issues traded, the prices of 288 stocks advanced, 67 declined, and 37 remained unchanged.
Total turnover reached Tk 7.9 billion, up from Tk 6.5 billion in the previous session.
This turnover is the highest recorded since Oct 7, when it hit Tk 7.87 billion.
Sectoral data shows the banking sector led with Tk 1.86 billion, or 24.13 percent of turnover, followed by textiles at Tk 1.14 billion and pharmaceuticals & chemicals at Tk 1.12 billion.
Al-Arafah Islami Bank led the gainers, hitting the 10 percent circuit breaker to close at Tk 17.60, with Sharp Industries and IFIC Bank also gaining over 9.5 percent.
Keya Cosmetics, National Feed Mill, and ICB AMCL First Agrani Bank Mutual Fund were the top losers.
At the Chittagong Stock Exchange, the CASPI index climbed 241 points to 15,034, with a turnover of Tk 94 million as 166 stocks rose and 24 fell.