Nepse index dips 0.6 per cent

Kathmandu, March 4

The slight recovery from mid-week limited the loss at the domestic share market in the week of February 26 to March 2.

Starting the week on Sunday at 1,337.46 points, Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index had dropped by 24.45 points by the day’s closing. The country’s only secondary market remained closed on Monday as the country observed Gyalbo Lhosar. On Tuesday, the benchmark index fell by 13.72 points and Nepse retreated below the psychological threshold of 1,300 points. On Wednesday, however, the local bourse recovered the loss of the previous day by going up 17.51 points. On Thursday, Nepse added another 12.61 points to close the week at 1,329.41 points — limiting its weekly loss to 8.05 points or 0.6 per cent.

The sensitive index, which gauges the performance of class ‘A’ stocks, fell by 2.1 points or 0.72 per cent to 288.78 points. Likewise, the float index that measures the performance of shares actually traded also dipped by 0.38 point or 0.38 per cent to 98.16 points.

Altogether, 3.32 million shares of 150 companies that amounted to Rs 1.53 billion were traded through 15,734 transactions during the week. The traded amount was 44.2 per cent less than the previous week when 28,068 transactions of 6.23 million shares of 161 companies that totalled Rs 2.75 billion had been undertaken. It has to be noted though that the share market had remained open for normal five days in the past week.

Whereas trading remained steady at 206.16 points, most of the remaining subgroups managed to land in the green zone.

Hotels led the gainers with the sub-index up 61.57 points or 3.61 per cent to 1,767.38 points.

Manufacturing salvaged the loss of 0.28 per cent of the preceding week by rising 26.08 points or 1.22 per cent to 2,165.3 points.

Similarly, hydropower edged up 10.5 points or 0.67 per cent to 1,568.89 points; development banks rose 7.71 points or 0.53 per cent to 1,455.11 points and insurance subgroup inched up 26.91 points or 0.46 per cent to 5,882.26 points.

After leading the pack of gainers in the past week by going up 2.2 per cent, others subgroup saw the gain wiped out in the review period as the sub-index dropped 45.98 points or 6.57 per cent to 653.93 points.

Finance lost 8.25 points or 1.34 per cent to 607.53 points and banking dipped 6.32 points or 0.5 per cent to 1,267.13 points.

Meanwhile, Kumari Bank secured  top position in terms of trading volume, number of transactions and turnover with 409,000 of its shares changing hands through 2,360 transactions that amounted to Rs 210.94 million. The other firms to make it to the list of top five in terms of turnover were Nepal Bangladesh Bank with Rs 184.33 million, Mahalaxmi Bikas Bank with Rs 89.29 million, Nepal Life Insurance with Rs 66.77 million and Shikhar Insurance with Rs 50.16 million.