The ongoing downward trend in Bangladesh's stock market has generated deep concern among investors. A crisis of confidence has emerged regarding the overall market situation, as the prices of most company shares and mutual funds have declined on both the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagess Stock Exchange (CSE). This continuous decline is not only causing investors to fear capital loss but also reducing market vibrancy due to a decrease in trading volume.
On Sunday (August 30, 2026), the first trading day of the week, the prices of most company shares and units fell on the main stock market DSE and the other stock market CSE, leading to a decline in the price indices. Although the share prices of some institutions initially rose at the start of trading, this did not last long. Within a short period, most institutions moved to the list of price declines, and this trend persisted until the end of the day's trading.
The DSE has recently witnessed several significant price drops. On August 25, alongside a fall in prices, the trading volume on the DSE plummeted to around BDT 500 crore, marking the lowest in nearly five months. On that day, the trading volume was BDT 506.71 crore. Subsequently, on the last trading day of the previous week, although the index saw a slight increase, trading volume further decreased to BDT 467.01 crore, which was the lowest since March 16. Prior to this, the stock market experienced a continuous five-day decline (until August 18), where significant selling pressure was observed across various sectors, irrespective of their performance.
Market experts have attributed several reasons to this ongoing price decline. According to them, a lack of investor confidence, increased selling pressure in the market, and a liquidity crisis are the primary causes. A sense of uncertainty regarding the overall market situation has led many investors to adopt a 'wait-and-see' approach instead of making new investments, consequently increasing selling pressure compared to buying pressure and further accelerating the price fall.
At the end of the day's trading, only 49 institutions across all sectors saw an increase in their share and unit prices on the DSE. In contrast, 309 institutions experienced a decline in their share and unit prices, while 34 remained unchanged. A review based on company performance shows that while 26 well-performing companies that paid dividends of 10 percent or more saw their share prices rise, 163 declined, and 11 remained unchanged. Similarly, among medium-performing companies that paid less than 10 percent dividends, 12 saw their share prices increase, while 58 declined, and 4 remained unchanged.
Conversely, among companies categorized in the 'Z' group due to not paying dividends to investors, 11 saw their share prices increase, while 89 declined, and 18 remained unchanged. In the case of mutual funds, one saw an increase in price, while 29 declined, and 4 remained unchanged. These statistics clearly illustrate the overall weakness of the market.
Looking at the price indices, the DSE's main index, DSEX, dropped by 41 points from the previous day to stand at 5,614 points. The DSE-30 index, comprising 30 selected good companies, decreased by 12 points from the previous day to 2,122 points. Additionally, the DSE Shariah index fell by 4 points to 1,128 points. Although the price indices declined, the trading volume on the DSE increased slightly on this day. The market witnessed a turnover of BDT 518.03 crore, which is BDT 51.02 crore higher than the BDT 467.01 crore recorded on the previous trading day.
On Sunday, Sayham Textile played the most significant role in DSE trading, with shares worth BDT 26.75 crore being traded. Sharp Industries, ranking second, saw shares worth BDT 21.24 crore traded. Sayham Cotton secured the third position with shares worth BDT 16.77 crore traded. The top 10 list also includes companies like Paramount Textile and Summit Alliance, indicating investor interest in certain shares even amidst market volatility.
