The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) saw a slight decline on Thursday, falling by 8.30 points to close at 2,748.05 points.
After a strong surge of around 71 points over the past two days, the market experienced a modest pullback as investors sought to secure capital gains, according to stockbrokers. The market opened at 2,755.47 points and quickly rose to a high of 2,774.14 points within the first 20 minutes of trading.
However, the index began to slide after reaching its peak, hitting a low of 2,739.60 points with just 21 minutes of trading left. The market rebounded slightly in the final minutes, recovering about nine points before closing for the day.
The sensitive index, which tracks the performance of ‘A’ class companies, dropped by 3.38 points. Daily turnover decreased to NPR 8.54 billion, down from NPR 9.31 billion on Wednesday.
Among the various sectors, only three saw gains, with the trading group showing the largest increase of 358.33 points. On the other hand, non-life insurance suffered the biggest loss, dropping 71.74 points.
Out of the 244 listed companies, only 49 gained in value, while 195 experienced declines. Excel Development Bank registered the highest turnover in its shares, totaling NPR 310.86 million.
The top losers included Manushi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited, while Bishal Bazar Company and Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited were among the highest gainers, each seeing a 10% increase in their market values.