B Mirror Report: The stock market began the new week on a positive note, driven by selective buying in December-closing stocks amid expectations of strong earnings performance.

Market sentiment was also supported by cautious optimism over developments in Middle East ceasefire talks, which helped offset concerns about overall market volatility.

The benchmark DSEX index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange rose by 17.6 points to close at 5,316, compared to 5,299 points in the previous session.

Although the market opened strongly, it faced selling pressure during mid-session trading. However, renewed buying interest in early trading helped the index end in positive territory.

Turnover on the Dhaka bourse increased by 11.1 percent to Tk 9.8 billion, up from Tk 8.8 billion in the previous session, indicating improved trading activity.

Sector-wise, General Insurance accounted for the highest share of turnover at 17.7 percent, followed by Engineering at 15.0 percent and Banking at 12.5 percent.

Performance across sectors remained mixed. General Insurance posted the highest gain of 3.8 percent, followed by Life Insurance at 1.6 percent and Food at 0.9 percent. On the other hand, Jute declined by 1.4 percent, Paper by 1.3 percent, and Financial Institutions by 1.0 percent.

Out of 397 traded issues, 156 advanced, 169 declined, and 71 remained unchanged, reflecting a broadly balanced market trend.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange also ended the session on a positive note, although its Selective Categories’ Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) showed slight declines.