Stocks opened lower on Tuesday as investors remained cautious amid ongoing corporate earnings and dividend declarations, while rising global energy prices following renewed tensions in the Middle East weighed on market sentiment. The benchmark DSEX fell 10 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 5,389 at 11:30am, with the blue-chip DS30 down 4 points to 2,086 and the Shariah index DSES down 3 points to 1,050.
Breadth stayed negative, with 199 issues declining against 111 advancing and 70 unchanged, while turnover remained sluggish at Tk141 crore in the early session. Shahjibazar Power topped the turnover chart with shares worth Tk12.5 crore changing hands, after the company reported a profit and exited the exchange's risk-category list. The Chittagong Stock Exchange also opened lower, its CASPI falling 32 points to 14,526.
A probe into a 60 per cent rise
Separately, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the abnormal price movement of Bangladesh National Insurance shares, directing the Dhaka Stock Exchange to examine investors, company insiders, stockbrokers and dealers, and to report within 30 working days. The order, issued on Monday 26 October, follows a surge of around 60 per cent since 15 June, taking the share to Tk166.40 on Monday — well ahead of other listed non-life insurers, including some with stronger financial performance.
The probe will examine possible coordinated or manipulative trading, including serial trading aimed at inflating the price, possible insider trading using unpublished price-sensitive information, and whether brokers and dealers complied with margin rules or facilitated suspicious trades.
A market that only rises on earnings is healthy. A market where single stocks surge 60 per cent without earnings to match needs a regulator asking questions.
What investors watch next
Earnings announcements and dividend declarations remain the near-term drivers, alongside energy prices and the next monetary signals. For long-term investors, the current phase rewards the same discipline as always: attention to company fundamentals, diversified exposure, and a clear view of how long money can stay invested. This article is for information only and is not personal financial advice.
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