The country’s major bourses witnessed a sharp fall in indices during the first half of trading on Wednesday, with most company shares losing value.

At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark index DSEX dropped by 43 points in early trading.

Among the other indices, the Shariah-based DSES lost 10 points, while the blue-chip DS30 index fell by 17 points.

Most share prices declined, with 280 companies witnessing losses against 55 gainers, while 59 remained unchanged.

The DSE recorded a turnover exceeding Tk 200 crore in the first half of trading.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also suffered losses, as its key index slipped by 65 points.

Out of the traded issues, prices of 60 companies declined, 24 advanced, and 11 remained unchanged.

The CSE turnover crossed Tk 2 crore during the period.