Kathmandu: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) closed almost unchanged on Monday slipping by just 1.46 points to settle at 2,700.65 points. Despite the marginal decline in the benchmark index, investors showed strong interest in newly listed hydropower companies making them the highlight of the day.

The Sensitive Index fell by 0.17 points while the Sensitive Float Index gained 0.10 points. The Float Index remained unchanged.

Strong Debut for New Hydropower Companies

The biggest story of the day was the impressive market debut of Taksar Pikhuwa Khola Hydropower Ltd. and Yambaling Hydropower Ltd. Both companies started trading on NEPSE for the first time on Monday after being listed last Friday.
Investor demand was so strong that the shares of both companies hit the positive circuit limit of 15 percent on their very first day of trading reflecting high market enthusiasm for new hydropower stocks.

Turnover Declines Slightly

Market turnover declined slightly compared to the previous session. A total of 8.13 million shares of 353 listed securities were traded through 90,862 transactions generating a turnover of Rs. 4.45 billion. On Friday, the market had recorded a turnover of more than Rs. 4.53 billion.

Market breadth remained mixed with 143 stocks declining, 116 advancing and 14 remaining unchanged.

Sopan Pharmaceuticals Leads Trading

Sopan Pharmaceuticals Ltd. emerged as the most actively traded stock by value recording a turnover of Rs. 374.46 million. The company also led the market in the number of transactions and gained around 5.5 percent during the session.

Meanwhile, NRN Infrastructure and Development Ltd. recorded turnover exceeding Rs. 300 million while 10.25% NBBL Debenture 2085 generated nearly Rs. 290 million in trading value.

Ankhu Khola Tops Volume Chart

In terms of trading volume, Ankhu Khola Jalvidhyut Company Ltd. topped the market with 450,266 shares traded making it the most actively traded stock by share count.

Nepal Bank Debenture Records Biggest Loss

Among the losing securities, 8.5% Nepal Bank Debenture 2087 posted the largest decline of the day falling 3.87 percent. Notably, no stock recorded a decline of more than 4 percent indicating limited selling pressure across the market.

Finance Sector Shines

Out of the 13 sectoral indices, only three closed higher while ten ended in negative territory. The Finance Index was the best performer rising 1.01 percent.

On the other hand, the Life Insurance Index recorded the biggest decline in terms of points dropping 56.21 points.

Market Sentiment Remains Positive

Although the benchmark index closed slightly lower, strong investor participation, turnover above Rs. 4 billion and the successful debut of two hydropower companies indicate that market sentiment remains positive. The strong buying interest in newly listed shares suggests investors are still actively seeking growth opportunities despite the market’s sideways movement.