Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s stock market extended its upward momentum on Wednesday, although at a slower pace than the previous trading session, with the benchmark NEPSE index gaining 2.66 points to close at 2,780 points.
The market had surged by 22.21 points in the previous session, but Wednesday’s trading was characterized by modest fluctuations throughout the day. Despite the relatively small rise in the index, investor participation increased, pushing daily turnover higher.
A total of 149 listed companies recorded gains, while 116 declined and six remained unchanged.
Market turnover rose to Rs 5.73 billion on Wednesday, compared to Rs 5.26 billion recorded in the previous session, indicating sustained investor activity despite the subdued movement in the benchmark index.
Investor attention shifted toward the non-life insurance sector, which emerged as the best-performing group of the day. The sector index jumped 3.37 percent, reaching its highest level since April 15 (Baisakh 2).
Market analysts attribute the renewed interest in non-life insurance companies to provisions introduced in the recently announced national budget. The budget doubled the third-party insurance coverage limit to Rs 1 million, a move expected to boost premium income and business opportunities for non-life insurers.
The positive outlook for the sector helped drive strong buying activity across insurance stocks.
Alongside non-life insurance, several other sectors also posted gains:
However, several sectors closed in negative territory. The “Others” category suffered the largest decline, falling 2.36 percent.
Other losing sectors included:
Among individual stocks, Kalinchok Hydropower emerged as the biggest winner of the day, with its share price surging 14.99 percent.
Other notable gainers included:
On the losing side, Nepal Reinsurance Company posted the sharpest decline, falling 5.18 percent.
Other major decliners were:
The highest trading activity was recorded in:
The market’s continued rise, combined with growing turnover and strong interest in insurance stocks following budget announcements, suggests that investors remain optimistic about sectors expected to benefit from new policy measures and regulatory changes.
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