NEPSE Slides 0.33%

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by 0.33%, or 9.22 points, on Thursday, August 21, closing at 2,757.97. The decline followed a 0.34% drop on Wednesday, after gains of 0.33% on Monday and 0.23% on Tuesday.

Trading activity picked up, with 16.85 million shares exchanged across 56,824 transactions, compared to 15.26 million shares in 53,853 transactions a day earlier. Total turnover, however, slipped to Rs 5.02 billion from Rs 5.20 billion on Wednesday.

Of the 250 listed companies traded, 53 advanced while 197 declined.

All major sub-indices ended in negative territory. The Sensitive Index, tracking A-class companies, dropped 0.14%, the Float Index fell 0.26%, and the Sensitive Float Index lost 0.13%.

Among sectoral indices, only Non-Life Insurance recorded gains, rising 0.14%. The Hotels and Tourism Index suffered the steepest decline, down 0.86%.

On the individual stock front, Bikash Hydropower Company Limited (BHCL) led the gainers, surging 9.99%, while Janautthan Samudayic Laghubitta Bittya Sanstha Limited (JSLBB) posted the largest loss, down 4.65%.

In terms of turnover, Himalayan Reinsurance Limited (HRL) topped the chart, followed by Nepal Reinsurance Company Limited (NRIC) and Balephi Hydropower Limited (BHL).

The market decline dragged overall market capitalization down to Rs 4,608.43 billion from Rs 4,623.85 billion on Wednesday.