Trading at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) resumed at 11:30 AM on Sunday, one and a half hours later than the usual start time due to a technical glitch. By noon, the market showed a slight downward trend.

Despite the disruption at DSE, trading at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) continued uninterrupted. At that time, shares of 114 companies saw gains, 122 experienced losses, and 69 remained unchanged. The DSEX index dropped 3 points, standing at 5,195, with a total turnover of BDT 55.64 crore.

To compensate for the delay, the trading session was extended until 3:00 PM instead of the usual closing time of 2:30 PM. Typically, trading occurs five days a week (excluding Friday and Saturday), starting at 10:00 AM and lasting four and a half hours.

While technical issues causing trading disruptions are not uncommon in global stock markets, they occur more frequently and consistently in Dhaka. A notable instance occurred on July 5, 2023, when technical problems disrupted trading for two consecutive days. Similarly, in 2022, a technical failure led to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) forcing DSE’s Chief Technology Officer to take mandatory leave.

To address these challenges, a new data center was established in October 2023. However, this recent issue marks the first significant problem since its installation, according to DSE sources.