Stocks continued falling for the ninth consecutive session at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) today, with the benchmark DSEX index falling below the 5,000-point mark for the first time in nearly six months.

On October 28 last year, the DSEX hit 4,894.53 points.

Today, the DSEX, the key index of the premier bourse, dropped 49.87 points, or 0.99 percent, to close at 4,972.59.

The Shariah-compliant DSES index fell 1.47 percent to 1,104.70, while the DS30, which represents blue-chip stocks, slid 1.20 percent to settle at 1,845.

However, the turnover, an important gauge of market activity, rose 22 percent to Tk 367.14 crore from the previous session, indicating a modest pickup in investor participation despite the continued bearish sentiment.

Out of 395 issues traded, 52 advanced, 300 declined, and 46 remained unchanged.

Energypac Power Generation emerged as the top gainer, surging 9 percent, while shares of Eastern Bank plummeted by 20 percent.

At the Chittagong Stock Exchange, the CSE All Share Price Index declined 0.38 percent to close at 13,956.96.