Major Surge in Market Indices, Yet Trading Volume Hits Four-Month Low

Despite a significant rise in market indices, trading activity on the country’s stock exchanges fell sharply on Monday (20 October), marking the lowest turnover in nearly four months.

After several consecutive days of decline, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) witnessed a major rebound on the second trading day of the week. The number of shares and units gaining value was nearly six times higher than those that declined, resulting in a notable increase across all indices — each climbing by around 1.5% or more.

However, the market continued to experience weaker buying pressure compared to selling orders, leading to a decline in overall transaction volume.

Performance Summary of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)

Among the gainers, 167 were from the ‘A’ category, 76 from the ‘B’ category, and 57 from the ‘Z’ category.

Index Movements

The DSEX — the key benchmark — rose by 67 points or 1.33% to close at 5,044 points, compared to 4,977 in the previous session.

Trading Volume and Turnover

• Total Turnover: Tk 394.65 crore
• Previous Day Turnover: Tk 442.40 crore
• Decline: Tk 47.75 crore

This was the lowest turnover since 24 June, when the DSE recorded transactions worth Tk 372.70 crore.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also saw a rise in all indices on the day, though most securities experienced a price decline. Despite that, overall trading volume at CSE saw a slight improvement.

While market indices recovered strongly in both exchanges, the persistently low trading volume underscores investor caution amid uncertain economic sentiment.