On Tuesday, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) experienced a significant decline, falling by 51.11 points to close at 2,702.65 points. The market initially opened at 2,753.76 points, gaining about five points in the first few minutes, but soon began to slide. By the last four minutes of trading, the index reached its low for the day at 2,697.81 points, before recovering slightly to close at the day’s final level.
The Sensitive Index, which tracks the performance of ‘A’ class companies, also dipped by 7.74 points. Overall market activity showed a drop in turnover, with daily trading volumes falling to Rs 10.46 billion from the previous day’s Rs 11.72 billion. The decline in trading volume can be partly attributed to Monday’s public holiday declared in mourning for the passing of former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana.
Among the sectors, all 13 groups ended the day in the red, with life insurance suffering the biggest loss, dropping 262.63 points. The market was dominated by a large number of losers, with 224 companies seeing declines, compared to only 20 gainers.
Individual company performance also showed significant losses, particularly Ngadi Group Power Ltd, which led the turnover with Rs 466.89 million but saw a sharp 9.25% drop in its share price, making it the biggest loser of the day. On the other hand, Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd was the top gainer, rising 10% in value.
This market downturn highlights the prevailing bearish sentiment, with broad-based losses across most sectors and companies.