DSE Weekly: Blood on Sunday, then the buyers came back — May 17-22
Sarah Ali
DSE Weekly: Blood on Sunday, then the buyers came back — May 17-22
This week started ugly and finished strong. If you only checked your portfolio on Monday, you probably wanted to look away. But by Thursday, the market had done a full 180. Here is how it played out.
Market Snapshot
| Date | Gainers | Losers | Unchanged | Volume | Value (Tk mn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, May 17 | 121 | 218 | 57 | 276,906,184 | 8,043.2 |
| Mon, May 18 | 90 | 243 | 63 | 243,027,542 | 6,817.0 |
| Tue, May 19 | 183 | 127 | 86 | 216,828,317 | 6,312.8 |
| Wed, May 20 | 201 | 128 | 67 | 291,155,442 | 8,031.4 |
| Thu, May 22 | 241 | 90 | 65 | 267,056,655 | 8,114.5 |
Sunday and Monday were rough. Two-thirds of stocks fell each day, and Monday was the worst with 243 losers against just 90 gainers. The thing is, turnover stayed above Tk 6 billion even on the bad days — people were still trading, just mostly on the sell side. That tells me it was more of a mood swing than real panic.
Tuesday felt different. Buyers showed up, and by Thursday they were in full control — 241 gainers versus 90 losers, nearly a 3-to-1 ratio. Daily value crossed Tk 8.1 billion. The breadth of that recovery matters more than any single stock move.
Financial Results & Credit Ratings
Desha General Insurance (DGIC) turned a small profit — Q1 EPS of Tk 0.11, up from Tk 0.05 last year. Nothing to write home about, but at least it is moving in the right direction. NAV per share edged up to Tk 11.46.
BRAC Bank is opening its books to investors. They announced a disclosure program where you can review audited and first-quarter financials, plus a Q&A session. If you hold BRAC Bank, worth tuning in.
Credit ratings were a mixed bag this week. Asia Insurance hit the jackpot with a "AAA" long-term and "ST-1" short-term from National Credit Ratings — basically the best score you can get. Mutual Trust Bank earned "AA+" / "ST-2" with Stable outlook from CRISL, which is solid.
But AB Bank got slapped. ARGUS cut them to "A-" / "ST-2" with a Negative outlook. That Negative tag is the real worry — it means the agency sees more downside ahead, not just where they are today. Northern Insurance also got hit with a Negative outlook despite its "AA+" long-term rating. GHCL landed at "BBB+" with Negative outlook too. Not a great week for these names.
Dividend News
Banks were the story here. MTB cleared a 12% stock dividend, though they have not set the record date yet. Southeast Bank locked in 7% stock with a record date of June 4 — that is coming up fast. Trust Bank got 5% approved, record date June 11. IPDC also cleared 5% stock.
On the cash side, Desha General Insurance declared a measly 2% cash dividend. Record date is July 7, AGM on September 9. Not exactly thrilling, but cash is cash.
NTC, meanwhile, is bleeding. EPS of Tk (158.53) and negative NAV per share of Tk (144.97) for the year ended June 30, 2025. If you are holding NTC, you already know this is not pretty.
Regulatory & Corporate Updates
BSEC repeated its warning about rumor-driven trading multiple times this week. They are clearly trying to keep speculation in check, though whether it works is another question.
DSE processed a stack of TREC changes. Sonali Securities’ TREC No. 261 was formally cancelled — if you have claims, the deadline was May 21. Several other houses withdrew authorized representatives: United Securities, Sharp Securities, Fortune Securities, Popular Equities, and Al-Haja Jahanara Securities.
The Daily Star keeps flagging that the government is looking at bank merger clauses tied to $1.7 billion in World Bank loan reforms. Still in discussion phase, but if this moves, it could reshuffle the banking landscape.
Power Grid Company got BSEC nod to raise paid-up capital. In the bond market, Mutual Trust Bank and AB Bank both scheduled trustee meetings to fix coupon rates on their perpetual bonds. Premier Bank set a trustee meeting for June 3 to fix its record date.
Trading Notices
Trading resumed for a batch of names after their record dates passed: AB Bank, IFIC, Islami Bank, Mercantile Bank, NRB Commercial Bank, Rupali Bank, plus RECKITTBEN, EIL, and several government treasury bonds.
Spot trading restrictions hit Marico, Mercantile Insurance, and Midland Bank ahead of their upcoming record dates. If you trade these, check the settlement timeline.
What to Watch Next Week
- GPH Ispat — Board meeting May 23 for Q3 FY26 results. Steel has been all over the place, so these numbers could move the stock.
- Techno Drugs — EGM on June 24, record date June 10. If you want to vote or trade around this, mark both dates.
- Southeast Bank — Stock dividend record date is June 4. Tight window if you are buying in.
- MTB — Still waiting on the revised record date for that 12% stock dividend.
Data sourced from DSE and market disclosures. This is not investment advice — do your own homework before putting money to work.