B Mirror Report: The country’s two stock exchanges the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed lower today as investors chose to cash in on gains from the recent election-driven rally while remaining cautious about emerging political developments.

The DSEX, the broad index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, fell by 19.0 points to settle at 5,571, down from 5,590 in the previous trading session.

The market witnessed volatile, see-saw trading throughout the day amid a tug-of-war between buyers and sellers. Opportunistic investors continued to accumulate momentum-driven stocks, taking advantage of prevailing risk-averse sentiment. However, late-session profit-taking, particularly in major large-cap scrips, dominated the market and dragged the indices back into negative territory.

Despite the decline in indices, market turnover remained strong above the Tk 10 billion mark, although it edged down 2.8 percent to Tk 12.2 billion from Tk 12.6 billion in the previous session.

Sector-wise, Bank issues accounted for the highest turnover at 18.4 percent, followed by Pharma (17.9 percent) and General Insurance (10.6 percent). The sectors posted mixed performance. Ceramic (1.8 percent), Jute (1.1 percent) and Services (0.9 percent) recorded notable gains, while Mutual Fund (-2.1 percent), Bank (-1.2 percent) and General Insurance (-1.1 percent) faced the steepest corrections.

Out of 397 issues traded, 129 advanced, 231 declined and 37 remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, the port city bourse, CSE, also ended in the red. Its Selective Categories’ Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) dropped by 14.6 points and 13.3 points, respectively.