NEPSE Drops 17.53 Points Despite Higher Trading Volume

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index dropped sharply on Thursday as share prices of most companies went down.

After increasing by 5 points on Wednesday, the NEPSE index fell by 17.53 points on Thursday and closed at 2,714.05. Although prices declined, trading activity improved compared to the previous day.

On Thursday, total share trading reached Rs 14.56 billion, up from Rs 11 billion on Wednesday. Overall, more than Rs 16 billion worth of shares were traded this week.

Market experts say some investors sold their shares to manage money ahead of the March 5 elections, which pushed prices down. However, higher trading volume has attracted new investors to the market.

Out of all traded companies, share prices of 85 companies increased, 170 companies declined, and 7 companies remained unchanged.

Most sector indices fell. Banking, development banks, finance, hotels, life insurance, manufacturing, microfinance, non-life insurance, others, and trading sectors all recorded losses.

Only the hydropower, investment, and mutual fund sectors showed small gains, but these were not enough to stop the overall market from falling.