The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by 1.05% (30.36 points) on Tuesday, March 4, to close at 2,846.30 points. This follows a 13.62-point dip in the previous session after a nine-day rally that saw a cumulative gain of 211.78 points.
Alongside the index, daily turnover, too, dropped on the third trading day of the week, totaling Rs 12.94 billion—down from Rs 14.28 billion the previous day.
Market analysts attributed the downturn to profit booking by investors.
The Sensitive Index dropped by 1.1%, the Float Index by 1.03%, and the Sensitive Float Index by 1%.
A total of 263.89 million shares from 318 securities were traded in 122,336 transactions.
Among the top gainers, Guardian Micro Life Insurance Limited (GMLI) hit the upper circuit limit. Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB) followed with a 6.66% gain.
On the losing side, Sindhu Bikash Bank Ltd (SINDU) suffered the biggest drop, plunging 10%, while Shrijanshil Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SHLB) fell 9%.
Himalayan Reinsurance Limited (HRL) led in trading volume, with transactions exceeding Rs 1.09 billion, followed by Nepal Reinsurance Company Limited (NRIC) with Rs 642.5 million in total trades.
All 13 sectoral indices closed lower. The Manufacturing and Processing Index saw the steepest decline at 2.21%, followed by the Finance Index at 2.1% and the Investment Index at 1.75%.
