KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 21

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE), which had been on an upward trajectory since Sunday, experienced a 32.77 points or a 1.53% drop on Thursday, closing at 2,109.10 points.

The daily turnover, which surpassed Rs 7 billion on Wednesday, also decreased to Rs 6.274 billion. This turnover involved the exchange of 17,172,149 units of shares from 304 companies in a total of 111,980 transactions, with the total market capitalization recorded at Rs 3.265 trillion.

In line with the benchmark index's decline, the sensitive index, evaluating 'A' class stocks, also saw a drop to 396.62 points, indicating a 1.49% decrease. Similarly, the float index, reflecting the performance of actively traded shares, closed at 144.52 points, marking a 1.78% decline.

Most sub-indices were in the red, with only the Manufacturing and Processing index and Trading indices in positive territory with gains of 2.36% and 0.56%, respectively. The Development Bank index was the top loser, experiencing a 3.23% decrease, closely followed by the Finance index with a 3.10% drop. Hotels and Tourism, and Life Insurance indices followed with losses of 2.99% and 2.78%, respectively.

The market showed a generally negative trend, with shares of only 52 companies advancing, 191 declining, and three remaining unchanged in terms of their share values. Bottlers Nepal (Balaju) Limited (BNL) was the top gainer among the five companies that witnessed positive circuit breaks.

Shivam Cements Ltd (SHIVM) led in terms of turnover with Rs 306,860,802.80, Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited Promoter (HIDCLP) was the top company in volume (792,945 units of its shares traded), and Sonapur Minerals and Oil Limited (SONA) claimed the top position in terms of transactions, with its scrips traded 6,694 times.