Dhaka and Chittagong Bourses Open on a Strong Note as Buyers Return

Dhaka's equity market began Wednesday's session on a distinctly firmer footing, with both the Dhaka Stock Exchange and the Chittagong Stock Exchange recording sharp early gains after a stretch of weakness. Investors who had stayed largely on the sidelines during recent declines appeared to step back in, producing a broad-based advance that lifted major indices within the first hour of trading.

On the Dhaka Stock Exchange, the benchmark DSEX index rose by roughly 55 to 60 points in the opening half-hour, climbing past the 5,340 level in early deals. The blue-chip DS30 index and the Shariah-compliant DSES also moved higher, reinforcing the impression of widespread buying rather than gains concentrated in a handful of large stocks. Market breadth was strongly positive: of the issues that had changed hands by mid-morning, more than three hundred were in positive territory while only a small number declined. Early turnover on the DSE already exceeded Tk 91 crore, a respectable figure that suggested meaningful participation rather than thin, speculative activity.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange followed a similar pattern. Its main CASPI index advanced by about 45 points in the same early window, and the majority of stocks that traded there also finished the opening period higher. The parallel moves on both exchanges indicated that the improvement in sentiment was not confined to a single trading venue.

The rebound arrives after several sessions in which selling had dominated. On Tuesday the DSEX had slipped close to multi-month lows, with many participants citing ongoing labour unrest in the ready-made garment sector, temporary factory closures in industrial belts, and broader macroeconomic caution as reasons for reduced risk appetite. Those concerns had weighed on valuations and kept many institutional and retail investors cautious. Wednesday's opening therefore represented a noticeable shift, with bargain hunters apparently viewing the recent declines as an opportunity to accumulate shares at lower levels.

Textile and spinning stocks featured among the most actively traded names in the early session, continuing a pattern of relative resilience in that sector even during the preceding downturn. Other segments also contributed to the advance, producing a more balanced picture than the narrow leadership seen on some weaker days. Market participants noted that the absence of fresh negative headlines on the labour front, combined with the sheer extent of the prior sell-off, may have encouraged selective buying.

Analysts cautioned that the gains remain early-session figures and that the true test will come in the latter part of the day. Sustained demand through the afternoon, rather than a fade once initial bargain-hunting is satisfied, will determine whether the market can close with a meaningful recovery. Turnover levels, the behaviour of large-cap stocks, and any fresh developments related to the garment industry will be watched closely.

For the moment, both bourses have started the trading day with clear upward momentum, broad participation, and a visible improvement in investor willingness to take risk after recent pressure. Whether this opening strength develops into a more durable recovery will become clearer once the full session's results are known.