Stocks continue to be enveloped in gloom

Stocks ended flat yesterday as investors cautiously observed the market fearing further slips.
DSEX, the benchmark general index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, closed at 4,363.87 points, after dropping 7.92 points or 0.18 percent. DSES, the shariah index of the Dhaka bourse, gained 1.82 points or 0.18 percent.
The benchmark index closed the week in the red after a losing streak spanning the past seven days, while the DS30 and DSES continued to gain as few multinationals, financial and pharma stocks saw buying interest, said LankaBangla Securities.
The market turnover is hovering below the Tk 200 crore-mark, which indicates that the selling pressure has been muted, the stockbroker said.
The bourse passed a week of negativity in all sessions with tension and dullness, IDLC Investments said. Turnover advanced 12.53 percent from the previous day to Tk 177 crore. The losers took a strong lead over the gainers by 147 to 99, while 51 issues remained unchanged—of the 292 issues that traded on the DSE.
A total of 0.48 lakh trades were executed, with 4.59 crore shares and mutual fund units changing hands on the Dhaka bourse.
Engineering, miscellaneous and tannery became the day's laggards, losing 1 percent, 2.1 percent and 0.8 percent.