KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) fell by 1.66 points on Thursday, the last trading day of the week, closing at 2,607.37 points.
Market activity has been sluggish for several days. On Wednesday, NEPSE had dropped by 7.86 points, while Tuesday saw a modest gain of 7.3 points.
According to market observers, Nepal’s political transition and uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections have weakened investor confidence. With both buyers and sellers cautious, trading volumes have contracted and price fluctuations have remained narrow. Total turnover also dipped to Rs 3.49 billion on Thursday, down from Rs 3.73 billion in the previous session.
Altogether, 98 companies recorded price gains, while 149 declined and 11 remained unchanged. Sectoral movements also stayed muted, with all group indices fluctuating within one percent.
The banking, life insurance, manufacturing and processing, microfinance, and trading groups posted marginal increases. Meanwhile, the development bank, finance, hotel and tourism, hydropower, investment, non-life insurance, and others categories closed lower. Despite the subdued performance, traders believe that clarity on the political front will be necessary for the market to regain strength in the coming days.
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