DSEX gives highest return in May in Asia: Report

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged the economy across the globe, Bangladesh’s stock market performed well last month, making it the best-performing capital market in Asia.

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), DSEX, gave a return of 9.4 percent in May this year, the highest rally seen by any key index of the world’s top-performing stock exchanges, according to Bloomberg.

In terms of return, Bangladesh was followed by Pakistan stocks with 8.5 percent, Vietnam with 7.2 percent, China with 6.6 percent, the Philippines with 5.3 percent, Kazakhstan with 4.7 percent, Sri Lanka with 2.5 percent, Thailand with 0.6 percent, and Indonesia with 0.3 percent.

In September and October last year, the capital market of Bangladesh was also the best performer in terms of return in the Asian frontier markets.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission Shibli Rubaiyat-ul-Islam said the broad index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange had risen sharply in May, boosting investor confidence despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This has made the Bangladesh capital market the Asia's best performer,” he said.

The DSEX exceeded 6,000-mark for the first time in more than 10 years last week.

Stock investors got back their confidence due to some reformative measures taken by the BSEC to bring about discipline in the market, according to stock analysts.

The new commission has been making its effort to put dynamism in the stock market by wooing foreign investors, said an analyst.