Ahsan Habib

Listed IT-based companies’ profits bounced back strongly in the last six months after the initial shock of the pandemic.

Listed textile manufacturers logged a staggering 152 per cent higher profits year-on-year in the October to December period of the current financial year of 2021-22.

Almost all listed pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh registered higher profits in the first half of the ongoing financial year (FY) thanks to increased health consciousness amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign portfolio investment in stocks dropped last month compared to that in the preceding one as the investors had embarked on a selling spree.

Listed power generation companies of Bangladesh have started to feel the negative impact of the expiry of power purchase agreements with the government.

Profits of listed steel manufacturers have soared thanks to higher volumes of sales made after the economy opened up in full swing.

The central bank announced a special package in February 2020 to prop up the stock market as the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was hovering around a seven-year low of 4,385 points.

Walton Hi-tech Industries saw its profits drop 31 per cent year-on-year despite reporting higher sales in the first half of fiscal 2021-22 due to increased production and transport costs.

Over the last year, the stock market regularly maintained a uniform rule for price discovery of companies willing to issue shares with premium prices instead of the fixed price method.

The Bangladesh Bank has imposed a fine of Tk 21.50 lakh on Southeast Bank after it failed to bring down its excessive investment in a single stock within the regulatory limit.

Amran Hossain, a private service-holder, invested around Tk 8 lakh in the stock market through Dawn Securities in 2009.

Bangladesh’s listed insurers’ life funds, or portfolios into which policyholder’s life assurance premiums are paid and claims are paid out of, have remained nearly the same in amount since 2015.

Investors are apparently increasingly opting for executing trade through the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) mobile app as its download has soared by around 51 per cent during the last two years amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The outgoing year bears special significance for Dhaka stocks for quite a number of developments.

A breakthrough has apparently come about in the discord between Bangladesh Bank and the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), with both reaching common grounds over perpetual bonds.

Six listed banks in Bangladesh cut their expenditures for the salaries and allowances of employees amidst the pandemic in 2020 in an apparent attempt to keep their profits unscathed.

Thanks to continuous economic growth and increasing connectivity in Bangladesh, the domestic demand for commercial vehicles is soaring rapidly.

Stock market listing offers a company to raise funds cheaply to steer growth, enhances its visibility and credibility, boosts the morale of employees, improves public perception, and brings overall transparency and efficiency.

For the past two weeks, the movement of major indices in Bangladesh’s stock market has been influenced by speculations over possible meetings between the regulators and subsequent policy changes, according to experts.

Fareast Islami Life Insurance allowed its former chairman and directors to commit serial financial crimes and siphon off policy holders’ funds worth more than Tk 2,100 crore between 2010 and 2020, found an audit recently.