Staff Correspondent: Bangladesh's capital market has shown signs of renewed momentum at the start of the new fiscal year 2025-26, with the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) witnessing turnover exceeding Tk 500 crore for the first time in 35 trading sessions. Despite a majority of listed companies seeing price declines on Thursday (3 July), the main index still ended the day higher, signalling cautious optimism among investors.
Market analysis shows that early trading began on a positive note, with most stocks and mutual fund units gaining in value. However, as the session progressed, a majority of shares slipped into the red. Even so, large-cap stocks held firm, helping to lift the DSEX-the DSE's key index-by 28 points to close at 4,894.
A total of 154 scrips gained on the day, while 181 declined and 62 remained unchanged. Among well-performing companies-those offering dividends of 10% or more-93 saw price increases, while 103 fell and 21 remained flat. For mid-level dividend payers (below 10%), 32 shares advanced, 39 declined, and 12 held steady.
In the speculative 'Z' category, made up of non-dividend-paying firms, 29 shares gained while 39 fell and another 29 remained unchanged. Meanwhile, of the 36 listed mutual funds, 22 gained, 5 lost, and 9 were unchanged. Trading volume also surged, with total turnover on the DSE reaching Tk 506.18 crore, up from Tk 479.52 crore in the previous session-an increase of Tk 26.66 crore. This marks the highest turnover on the exchange since 7 May this year.
BRAC Bank led the turnover chart, recording transactions worth Tk 24.88 crore. It was followed by Agni Systems at Tk 15.41 crore and Midland Bank with Tk 14.95 crore. Other top-traded stocks included Beach Hatchery, Square Pharmaceuticals, Asiatic Laboratories, Lovello Ice Cream, Fine Foods, Islami Bank, and City Bank.
The DSE-30 Index, which tracks the top 30 blue-chip stocks, gained 18 points to reach 1,836, while the DSES Index, tracking Shariah-compliant stocks, dipped slightly by 0.39 points to 1,065.
Elsewhere, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also had a bullish day, with its CASPI index climbing 99 points. Of the 205 traded scrips, 118 gained, 59 declined, and 28 remained unchanged. Total turnover at the CSE soared to Tk 21.45 crore-sharply up from Tk 5.37 crore in the previous session.
The market's early signs of recovery have been welcomed by investors, but analysts note that consistent policy support, improved investor confidence, and stable macroeconomic conditions will be critical to sustaining this positive trend in the weeks ahead.