Bangladesh’s capital markets witnessed yet another day of decline on Wednesday, as both the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chattogram Stock Exchange (CSE) continued to fall, with all key indices ending lower and the majority of listed shares losing value.

This marks the third consecutive day of downward momentum, following losses in the previous two sessions.

At the DSE, the benchmark index DSEX shed 38 points, while the Shariah-based DSES fell by 10 points. The DS30 index, which tracks blue-chip stocks, lost 7 points.

Out of the 399 companies traded during the session, 292 saw price declines. Only 61 registered gains, while prices of 46 issues remained unchanged.

The downtrend was observed across all categories of shares – A, B, and Z. In the A-category, which consists of fundamentally strong dividend-paying stocks, 153 out of 218 companies closed lower, while 39 gained and 26 remained unchanged.

Mutual funds also faced pressure, with 21 out of 36 declining. Only 3 funds saw an uptick, while 12 remained unchanged.

Block market transactions involved 22 companies with a total turnover of Tk 16 crore. Renata Limited led the segment with shares worth Tk 4.96 crore traded.

Turnover at the DSE also dropped, amounting to Tk 294 crore for the day – down from Tk 343 crore in the previous session.

City General Insurance topped the gainers’ list with a 9.91 percent rise, while NRB Bank ended at the bottom, losing over 6.77 percent.

Decline in Chattogram as Well

The bearish trend extended to the Chattogram Stock Exchange (CSE), where the overall index dipped by 71 points at the close of trading.

Out of 196 traded companies, 127 declined, 44 advanced and 25 remained unchanged.

Turnover at the CSE stood at Tk 11.12 crore, a notable rise from Tk 7.67 crore in the previous session.

Sonali Life Insurance emerged as the top gainer at the CSE with a 10 percent price increase, while KDS Accessories Limited saw the sharpest fall, shedding over 9.82 percent.

Both bourses now await a possible reversal amid cautious investor sentiment and a challenging economic backdrop.