B Mirror Report: The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) continued its downward trend on Thursday, marking the third consecutive day of losses as investors remained cautious and sold off shares amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and volatility in global energy markets.

The benchmark DSEX index declined by 82 points, or 1.54 percent, to close at 5,241, extending the total loss to 293 points over the past three sessions.

Blue-chip shares also came under pressure, with the DS30 index shedding 34 points, or 1.65 percent, to settle at 2,012, while the Shariah-based DSES index fell 14 points to end at 1,049.

Market breadth stayed strongly negative, as 308 issues closed lower, while only 52 stocks advanced and 33 remained unchanged.

Trading activity also weakened during the session. Turnover dropped 21.13 percent to Tk459 crore, compared to Tk582 crore in the previous trading day. At the same time, the market capitalisation of the bourse declined by Tk3,096 crore to Tk6,97,952 crore in a single session.

Market insiders said the ongoing sell-off was influenced by both international and domestic economic uncertainties. The continuing conflict in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran, has pushed global energy prices higher, raising concerns about possible supply disruptions for energy-importing economies like Bangladesh.

According to market sources, the international benchmark Brent crude oil price climbed from around $70 to between $80 and $84 per barrel, reflecting an increase of about 10–15 percent. Meanwhile, the Asian LNG benchmark Japan Korea Marker (JKM) surged sharply from $13–$14 per MMBtu to around $24–$25 per MMBtu, representing a steep 70–80 percent rise.

Analysts said the surge in global energy prices could significantly impact Bangladesh by increasing the cost of fuel imports, raising electricity generation expenses, and possibly forcing the government to adjust energy tariffs or increase subsidies.

Amid such uncertainty, investors chose to remain cautious, triggering broad-based selling across the market. Analysts warned that ongoing geopolitical developments and fluctuations in global energy prices may continue to keep the stock market volatile in the coming days.

Among the top gainers, International Leasing and Financial Services Limited led the list with a 10 percent rise, followed by FAS Finance & Investment Limited and Fareast Finance & Investment Limited, each gaining 9.09 percent.

On the losing side, First Finance Limited recorded the biggest fall at 10 percent, followed by Prime Finance & Investment Limited, which declined 8 percent, and ICB Islamic Bank Limited, which dropped 7.89 percent.

Trading remained concentrated in several high-volume stocks, with Orion Infusion, City Bank, and Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries emerging as the most actively traded shares, indicating notable participation from large investors despite the overall market downturn.

All major large-cap sectors ended the session in negative territory, reflecting widespread selling pressure. The Food & Allied sector posted the highest decline of 2.44 percent, followed by Banking at 2.36 percent and Non-Bank Financial Institutions at 2.29 percent.

Other sectors also registered losses, with Engineering falling 1.36 percent, Fuel & Power declining 1.20 percent, Pharmaceuticals dropping 0.99 percent, and Telecommunication edging down 0.23 percent.

Block trades accounted for 4.7 percent of the total turnover, indicating continued participation by institutional investors.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also closed in the red. The CASPI index fell by 192 points to 14,825, while the CSCX index dropped 115 points to 9,061, reflecting negative sentiment across both major bourses.