KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) benchmark index ended with modest gains on Thursday, recovering from a slight downturn in the previous trading session.

The NEPSE index edged up by 2.31 points to close at 2574.65 points. In tandem, the Sensitive Index—which measures class ‘A’ stocks—gained 0.81 points. The Float Index and the Sensitive Float Index also registered minor increases of 0.22 points and 0.29 points, respectively.

Market liquidity saw an upward bump today. The daily turnover rose to Rs. 3.93 billion (Rs. 3,93,05,60,000) with 11.23 million shares changing hands via 43,812 transactions across 354 listed scrips. In comparison, Wednesday’s total turnover stood at Rs. 3.74 billion.

Top Gainers and Losers

• Kutheli Bukhari Small Hydropower (KBSH) hit the 10% positive circuit level today. Investor attraction surged immediately after the company declared an 18% bonus share dividend.
• Snow Rivers saw its stock price rally by approximately 6.5%.
• Laxmi Value Fund II and Mega Mutual Fund 1 both recorded a 6% appreciation in their unit prices.
• On the flip side, RBB Mutual Fund 2 was the day’s biggest loser, with its unit price plunging 8.07%.

Volume Leaders

• Ghalamdi Hydro retained its top position in terms of transaction volume, racking up a massive turnover of Rs. 260.6 million.
• Himal Dolakha Hydropower followed closely with trades exceeding Rs. 190 million.
• Peoples Hydropower also had a busy session, clearing a turnover milestone of over Rs. 140 million.

Sectoral Performance

Out of the 13 sub-indices, eight sectors closed in the green, while five suffered losses. The sub-indices for Banking, Development Banks, Hydropower, Investment, Manufacturing & Processing, Mutual Funds, Non-Life Insurance, and Trading observed marginal gains.