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After a brief uptick, most bank shares fell again in the country’s stock markets, pulling down the overall indices and slowing trading activity.

On Sunday, 26 October, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw share prices of banks and most other sectors decline, leading to drops across all major indices along with reduced trading volume.

Similarly, at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), the majority of companies saw share price declines, causing the index to fall and trading activity to slow.

Earlier, on Thursday, the last trading day of the previous week, bank shares had risen, boosting all indices and trading volume. On Sunday, DSE opened with modest gains for most companies, initially showing upward movement in the indices.

However, after the first hour, bank shares started falling one after another, a trend that continued throughout the day. The drop in banking stocks negatively affected other sectors, resulting in a longer list of declining shares and lower overall indices by the end of trading.

Market snapshot (DSE):

• Risers: 142 companies
• Fallers: 198 companies
• Unchanged: 59 companies
• Banking sector: 7 shares rose, 22 fell, 7 unchanged

Dividend-based performance:

• Companies with good or ≥10% dividend: 86 shares rose, 112 fell, 24 unchanged
• Medium dividend (<10%): 26 shares rose, 45 fell, 10 unchanged
• Non-dividend ‘Z’ group: 30 shares rose, 41 fell, 25 unchanged
• Mutual funds (36 listed): 4 rose, 19 fell, 11 unchanged

Indices:

• DSEX: down 22 points to 5,126
• DSE-30: down 11 points to 1,986
• DSE Shariah: down 4 points to 1,083

Trading volume:

• DSE: BDT 461.55 crore (previous session: BDT 468.60 crore, down BDT 7.05 crore)

Top traded shares (DSE):

1. Khan Brothers PP Oven Bag – BDT 19.36 crore
2. Pragati Insurance – BDT 15.88 crore
3. Dominage Steel Building – BDT 13.47 crore

Other top 10 traded companies include Robi, City Bank, Sonali Paper, Pragati Life Insurance, CVO Petrochemicals, Midland Bank, and Orion Infusion.

CSE overview:

• CASPI index: down 24 points
• Among 188 companies traded: 75 rose, 92 fell, 21 unchanged
• Trading volume: BDT 11.47 crore (previous session: BDT 15.83 crore)

The decline highlights the continuing vulnerability of bank shares and its impact on overall market performance.