NEPSE Falls Nearly 20 Points, Market Remains Under Pressure

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by nearly 20 points on Sunday, continuing the market’s downward trend from last week.

After dropping 17 points on Thursday, the index fell another 19.85 points on Sunday and closed at 2,694.20 points. It opened the day at 2,714.05 points and stayed in negative territory throughout the trading session. The Sensitive Index also declined by 2.76 points.

Market analysts say the fall is mainly because most listed companies have already paid dividends for the last fiscal year. This means investors now have to wait a long time for new returns. Selling pressure has also increased as investors are selling shares to manage expenses related to the upcoming Falgun 21 elections.

On Sunday, shares of 260 companies were traded. Out of these, prices of 201 companies fell, 50 companies saw gains, and 9 companies remained unchanged. Mithila Laghubitta was the top gainer, rising by nearly 10 percent. In contrast, Corporate Development Bank recorded the biggest loss, falling by 19 percent.

Almost all sector indices ended in the red. Banking, development banks, finance, investment, life insurance, microfinance, non-life insurance, hotels, hydropower, manufacturing, mutual funds, and other sectors all declined. The trading sector was the only one to gain, rising by 20.92 points.

Trading activity also decreased. A total of 2.26 million shares worth Rs 9.10 billion were traded through 110,729 transactions involving 329 companies. This turnover was much lower than Thursday’s trading, which had crossed Rs 14 billion.