Kathmandu, August 21
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index recorded a slight gain of 2.11 points on Wednesday, closing at 1,968.44. This uptick follows a two-day public holiday and comes after the market experienced a sharp decline on the first trading day of the week.
Last week, NEPSE had surged past the 3,000-point mark but saw a significant drop of 34.47 points on Sunday, bringing the index down to 2,966.33.
On Wednesday, despite fluctuations in the market, the NEPSE index managed to close with a modest increase. Key sub-indices like Microfinance, Insurance, Hydropower, and Hotels & Tourism experienced declines, but gains in the Finance and Banking sectors helped buoy the overall index.
The Finance sub-index saw the most significant rise, jumping 4.99 per cent, while the Development Bank and Banking sub-indices increased by 0.72 per cent and 0.59 per cent, respectively. The Investment and Other sub-indices also posted minor gains.
In contrast, the Trade sub-index fell by 2.09 per cent, with the Hotels & Tourism, Hydropower, and Non-Life Insurance sub-indices dropping by 1.03 per cent, 0.75 per cent, and 0.68 per cent, respectively.
Although the NEPSE index posted a slight gain, the overall trading volume was notably lower. On Wednesday, the market saw a turnover of Rs 18.91 billion, significantly down from Rs 29.95 billion last Thursday and Rs 28.83 billion on Sunday. A total of 41.45 million shares were traded across 214,319 transactions.
Among the top performers, Himalayan Reinsurance Company led with a turnover of Rs 660 million, followed by Api Power and Everest Bank, with Rs 457.8 million and Rs 451 million in trades, respectively. Sanima Mai Hydropower also saw substantial activity, with Rs 368.1 million in share transactions.
Five companies, including Corporate Development Bank, Sindhu Development Bank, Reliance Finance, and Dolti Power, saw their share prices rise to the upper circuit level, each gaining 10 per cent. Meanwhile, the share price of Karnali Development Bank fell by 10 per cent, closing at the lower circuit level, with Matribhumi Microfinance and Sampada Microfinance also experiencing declines of 5.98 per cent and 5.48 per cent, respectively.
Despite the mixed performance across sectors, the overall market sentiment remained cautiously optimistic as trading resumed after the public holiday.
