Dhaka stocks fall for second session

• Dhaka stocks extend losses, DSEX down
• Turnover falls, investor sentiment remains weak
• Fuel and power sector leads declines
• Orion Infusion most traded, Anwar surges

Dhaka stocks fell today, extending losses for a second straight session as weakness across large-cap sectors dragged the index lower.

The DSEX, the benchmark index of the bourse, lost 40.12 points, or 0.78 percent, to close at 5,086.85, according to Dhaka Stock Exchange data.

Other indices followed the performance of the main index, as the Shariah-based DSES fell and the blue-chip DS30 edged lower.

"The market closed in the red. All the large-cap sectors posted negative performance," BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage Ltd said in its daily market update.

Turnover, a key gauge of investor activity, declined to Tk 394 crore from Tk 461 crore in the previous session, reflecting lower investor sentiment.

Among the major sectors, the fuel and power sector was down 2.45 percent, followed by banks at 1.38 percent, telecommunications at 1.29 percent, and engineering at 0.91 percent.

Losses among other sectors included food and allied, which dropped 0.69 percent, while non-bank financial institutions shed 0.33 percent and pharmaceuticals 0.28 percent.

Block trades, which are high-volume transactions involving large numbers of securities, contributed 4 percent to the overall market turnover.

Market breadth was negative, with 81 issues advancing against 260 declining, while 55 remained unchanged.

Orion Infusion emerged as the most traded stock, posting a turnover of Tk 23.6 crore, said BRAC EPL.

Anwar Galvanizing surged 23.19 percent to top the gainers' list, while Sharp Industries dropped 12.74 percent, becoming the worst performer of the session.