Dhaka, Nov. 3 -- Stocks witnessed a major setback on Monday as both Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed sharply lower, with most issues ending in the red.

At the DSE, the benchmark DSEX Index dropped 54 points, while the Shariah-based DSES Index shed 12 points and the blue-chip DS30 Index declined by 21 points.

Market breadth remained overwhelmingly negative as prices fell for 300 securities, while only 45 advanced and 53 remained unchanged.

Across all three categories - A, B, and Z - most shares declined. In the A-category, which includes the best-performing and highest dividend-paying companies, 166 issues lost value, while only 25 gained and 28 remained unchanged.

Block market transactions amounted...