Direct Answer
The DS30 is a rule-based measurement of Bangladeshi blue-chip equity benchmark, maintained by Dhaka Stock Exchange. Like every index it owns nothing: it is a number produced by applying a published weighting formula to a selected list of companies, revised on a schedule the provider sets.
What this index covers
The DS30 covers Bangladeshi blue-chip equity benchmark, within the Bangladesh market. Dhaka Stock Exchange defines which securities are eligible, how they are selected from that pool, and how much each one contributes to the published number.
The name states a target of 30 companies. A target is not a guarantee of the exact count on any given day: corporate actions, dual share classes and pending additions all move the real number around it.
How constituents are weighted
Each stock's weight is set by its float adjusted market capitalisation. The base date is 17 January 2008 with a base value of 1000.
The weighting method is the single biggest driver of how an index behaves. Two indexes covering the same market can diverge for years purely because they weight differently, which is why comparing index levels without knowing the method tells you very little.
What qualifies for inclusion
Float adjusted market capitalisation above 500 million BDT, a three month average daily value traded of at least 5 million BDT (lowered to 3 million in some cases to fill the index) and positive net income over the latest four quarters. Mutual funds, debentures and bonds are excluded.
Eligibility rules are the part of an index most readers never look at and the part that decides what it can possibly measure. A screen that excludes a whole sector, or admits only one listing venue, shapes the result far more than any day of trading does.
How long a listing must exist first
A stock must trade on at least half of normal trading days in each of the three months before the rebalancing reference date.
A seasoning rule is why a large new listing does not appear in an index the week it starts trading. It is a deliberate lag, and it means an index can under-represent a fast-growing part of the market for months at a time.
When the membership is revised
Rebalanced semi-annually. At each rebalancing a current constituent whose daily value traded slips below 5 million BDT stays if it is still at least 3 million BDT and meets the other tests.
Reconstitution is the one date an index changes shape by design rather than by price. Funds tracking it have to trade toward the new membership, which is why the schedule matters to anyone holding the tracker rather than only to the provider.
The rule that surprises people
Sector caps apply: banks, financial institutions, insurance, the real estate sub-sector, pharmaceuticals and fuel and power are each limited to 5 constituents and 20 combined. The broader DSEX has no such rule.
References
- Dhaka Stock Exchange: Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSE Indices as per the DSE Bangladesh Index Methodology (DSEX and DS30), as published 2022. Every rule described on this page is taken from this document.
Current DS30 constituents
Dhaka Stock Exchange publishes and licenses the DS30 constituent list. Swoopr does not republish it here. The provider's own page is the authoritative source for current membership and weights.
Related reading
- All stock market indexes: how indexes are built, weighted and revised.
- Emerging Markets indexes: others covering the same region.
- Index concentration: measuring how much of an index sits in its largest holdings.
- Index rebalancing and inclusion effects: what happens to a stock when index membership changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who maintains the DS30?
Dhaka Stock Exchange maintains the DS30 and publishes the methodology document that defines its eligibility and weighting rules.
What does the DS30 measure?
It measures Bangladeshi blue-chip equity benchmark. The index is a calculated number applying a weighting formula to a selected list of companies, and it holds nothing itself.
Where can I see the current DS30 constituents?
Dhaka Stock Exchange publishes the current constituent list. Swoopr does not republish it, because index providers license constituent data and Swoopr holds no such licence.