Dhaka stocks slip as Middle East uncertainty halts four-day rally
Trading activity also slowed, with daily turnover falling 11% to Tk523 crore, reflecting a cautious stance among investors preferring to observe market developments rather than take fresh positions.
Stocks at the Dhaka bourse fell today (15 March), ending a four-session rally as cautious investors returned to the sidelines amid persistent uncertainty over the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The benchmark DSEX index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) dropped 49 points, or 0.91%, to close at 5,319, while the blue-chip DS30 index lost 23 points, or 1.11%, settling at 2,043.
Market breadth remained sharply negative, with 246 issues declining, 99 advancing, and 45 unchanged.
Trading activity also slowed, with daily turnover falling 11% to Tk523 crore, reflecting a cautious stance among investors preferring to observe market developments rather than take fresh positions.
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According to EBL Securities, the benchmark retreated after a brief recovery streak as investor sentiment weakened amid lingering global uncertainties.
"Investors adopted a cautious stance, leading to broad-based selling pressure across the board," the brokerage noted, highlighting concerns over the geopolitical conflict's impact on both domestic and global markets.
Throughout the session, selling pressure spread across most sectors, and many risk-averse investors remained inactive, monitoring the market amid the absence of any visible progress toward a resolution or ceasefire.
Sector-wise, banking led trading activity, accounting for 17% of total turnover, followed by pharmaceuticals at 15.6% and textiles at 10.4%. Top turnover leaders included Orion Infusion, City Bank, Robi, Summit Alliance Port, and BRAC Bank.
Most sectors posted losses, reflecting broad-based selling. Life insurance recorded the steepest decline at 1.9%, followed by general insurance (-1.5%) and banking (-1.4%). Only the financial institutions sector managed a marginal gain of 0.3%.
Among individual stocks, Aamra Technologies led the gainers with a 9.77% rise, followed by Metro Spinning (+9.67%), Pacific Denims (+9.25%), Prime Finance (+9.25%), and International Leasing (+9.09%). On the losing side, ICB Islamic Bank fell 5.71%, Sonar Bangla Insurance dropped 5.03%, Sunlife Insurance lost 4.66%, Sea Pearl Beach Resort shed 4.51%, and Meghna PET declined 4.40%.
