Staff Correspondent | New Age May 16,2020
The Dhaka Stock Exchange has extended suspension of trading on the bourse till May 30 in line with the extension of the nationwide general holiday.
The DSE made the decision on May 16 after the government extended the general holiday till May 30.
All trading and settlement activities on the exchange will remain closed till then.
The government announced the general holiday on March 29 and extended it in phases till May 30 to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier on April 30, the DSE board of directors agreed in principle at an online meeting to resume trading on the bourse from May 10 and sought exemptions from having to comply with various rules.
However, the market regulator, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, was unable to take a decision in this regard for a quorum crisis after the tenure of Helal Uddin Nizami as commissioner ended on May 4.
M Khairul Hossain’s tenure as BSEC chairman also came to an end on May 14.
The DSE officials said that the bourse could not resume trading without the consent of the regulator and without availing exemptions from a number of rules.
It also demanded that the stock market should be included in the list of essential services during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Therefore, the bourse has extended the suspension of trading on the exchange in line with the general holidays despite many investors pressing for early resumption of trading.
