KATHMANDU, JANUARY 16

The Nepal Stock Exchange witnessed a robust surge on Tuesday, with a remarkable gain of 54.54 points, marking a 2.57% increase and settling at 2,175.17 points by the close of the trading day. The day's trading activity showcased an impressive intra-day turnover, surpassing the Rs 8 billion mark.

Building on the momentum from Sunday, where the benchmark index had already seen a significant uptick of 31.62 points, Tuesday's trading witnessed a meteoric rise. This surge came on the heels of a public holiday on Monday, injecting additional vitality into the market.

In tandem, the sensitive index, assessing the performance of class 'A' stocks, reflected a substantial uptick of 2.38%, while the float index, gauging actively traded shares, posted a gain of 2.72%.

The day's trading volume recorded a significant Rs 8.023 billion turnover, involving the exchange of 23,370,053 units of shares from 304 companies through 133,061 transactions.

Investor interest focused prominently on the finance sector, leading the pack of gainers with a notable 4.75% increase. Following closely were the investment index with a 3.70% rise and sustained enthusiasm in the hydropower sector, experiencing a 3.51% increase.

A total of 214 companies witnessed an upward trajectory, while 31 declined, and two remained unchanged. Notably, five companies - United Modi Hydropower Limited (UMHL), Himalayan Power Partner Limited (HPPL), NRN Infrastructures and Development Limited (NRN), Nepal Warehousing Company Limited (NWCL) - hit a positive circuit break of 10%.

Sonapur Minerals and Oil Limited (SONA) emerged as the top company in terms of turnover (Rs 283,155,802.40) and transactions (4,795). However, Himal Dolakha Hydropower Company Limited (HDHPC) led in terms of shares traded, with 1,150,134 units changing hands.