, April 5 -- Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges kicked off the week on a downbeat note on Sunday, with major indices declining and most stocks losing ground in the first hour of trading.

At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index shed 46 points in the opening hour, while the Shariah-based DSES fell 6 points and the blue-chip DS30 index dropped 14 points.

Market breadth remained heavily skewed to the downside, with 316 companies recording losses against gains in only 46, while 25 others held steady.

The turnover in the first hour crossed Tk 220 crore in shares and units.

The bearish sentiment spilled over to the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the broad-based CASPI index tumbled more than 80 points.

Of the co...