New trading hours start today

The share trading time at the country’s premier bourse – Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) – has been reset again to comply with the changing office hours for banks and other government offices.

From today, the trading operations start at 10:00am and would continue until 2:20pm, according to a newly issued press statement by the DSE.

As per the new order, the post-closing session would continue until 2:30 pm.

Currently, the share trading at the bourses starts at 9:30am and ends at 1:50pm and the post-closing sessions continue until 2:00pm.

Earlier on October 31 this year, the government decided to set the office hours from 9:00am to 4:00pm for all the government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous organisations.

During a cabinet meeting, the new decision was taken saying it would be put into effect from November 15 next.

Following that move, stock regulator the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in an order on 8 November said the country’s two stock exchanges would start their trading operations at 10:30am and would continue until 2:50pm from November 15.

Earlier on August 22, the government had reset the office hours from 8:00am to 3:00pm for all the government and autonomous offices and from 9:00am to 4:00pm for all banks in a bid to save electricity amid an energy crisis.

According to the government’s latest order, banks would continue their transactions from 10:00am to 3.30pm.

Bangladesh was now facing an energy crunch amid price volatility in the global market due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the steep depreciation of the taka against the dollar.