KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index continued its upward momentum on Thursday, gaining 31.54 points to close at 2,695.60.

The benchmark index had also closed higher on Wednesday, and Thursday’s session extended the market’s recent gains.

The Sensitive Index rose 6.41 points, while the Float Index and Sensitive Float Index increased by 2.27 points and 2.25 points, respectively.

Alongside the rise in the index, market turnover also increased significantly. Shares of 350 companies changed hands in 69,619 transactions on Thursday, with 23.26 million shares traded for a total turnover of Rs 8.57 billion.

The day’s turnover was the highest in around six and a half months. Previously, the market had recorded turnover of nearly Rs 9.5 billion on Baisakh 3, making Thursday’s trading activity the strongest since then.

Beni Hydropower continued its strong performance, with its share price hitting the positive circuit limit. The company’s stock gained Rs 80.50 to close at Rs 617.20.

Sopaan Pharmaceuticals was another major gainer, with its share price rising by more than 8.5 percent. Nepal Reinsurance Company gained more than 5.5 percent, while NRN Infrastructure and Development advanced 3.65 percent.

In terms of turnover, Ghalemdi Hydropower led the market with shares worth Rs 356.1 million traded. Siddhartha Bank recorded turnover of around Rs 255 million, while Laxmi Sunrise Bank crossed Rs 240 million in trading value.

All 13 sectoral indices closed higher on Thursday. The Others sub-index recorded the biggest gain, rising 2.45 percent. Banking and Hotels and Tourism also gained more than 2 percent, while Development Bank and Finance advanced by more than 1 percent.

The broad-based gains across all sectoral indices, combined with increased turnover, indicated strong buying interest in the market during Thursday’s session.