Staff Correspondent: After more than three weeks of continuous decline, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) showed signs of recovery on Sunday, followed by further improvement on Monday (5 May), reigniting hopes among investors amid a backdrop of anxiety and pessimism.
Data analysis shows that on 6 April, the DSE's key index stood at 5,206 points. By 30 April, it had dropped to 4,917 points-shedding a total of 289 points in less than a month. During the same period, market capitalisation shrank by Tk 20,085 crore, from Tk 671,643 crore to Tk 656,559 crore.
However, in the last two trading days, the DSE has regained 47 points, including a gain of 8.41 points on Monday, bringing the benchmark index to 4,964. Additionally, Tk 229 crore has returned to the market in terms of capitalisation. Monday's trading session recorded the highest turnover of the year, signalling a potential shift in market sentiment.
Despite these positive indicators, major institutional and large-scale investors remain on the sidelines. Market insiders suggest that their eventual participation could accelerate a more sustainable turnaround. "The market has gone through significant turbulence," said one analyst. "Now it's time to rebuild momentum. The fundamentals are still there."
In Monday's trading, the DSE Shariah Index (DSES) fell by 1.43 points to 1,098, and the DS30 Index declined by 10.02 points to close at 1,844.
The day saw a total transaction value of Tk 584.02 crore at the DSE, a notable increase from Tk 399.33 crore on the previous day. Among the 400 traded securities, 173 advanced, 169 declined, and 58 remained unchanged.
Over at the Chattogram Stock Exchange (CSE), Tk 6.02 crore worth of shares and units were traded on Monday, slightly down from Tk 6.39 crore the day before. Of the 195 issues traded, 106 advanced, 60 declined, and 29 remained unchanged.
The CSE's broad index, CASPI, gained 58.99 points to settle at 13,864, recovering from a marginal loss of 0.07 points on the previous day.