NEPSE Sheds 1.62% in a Week as Investors Lose Rs 73 Billion
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) fell 1.62% last week, marking its fourth consecutive weekly decline as pre-festival selling pressure weighed on the market. The slump wiped Rs 73 billion off market capitalization, with all 13 sector indices closing lower.
KATHMANDU, Oct 3 — The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) declined 42.56 points (1.62 percent) last week, as the secondary market came under selling pressure with the festival season approaching.
The benchmark index opened the week at 2,629.81 points and closed at 2,587.25 points, extending its losing streak to a fourth consecutive week. During the review period, the market touched a high of 2,638.28 points and a low of 2,582.36 points, a volatility band of 55.92 points.
Gains were scarce: the index edged up just 0.26 points on Thursday, while the remaining four trading days ended in the red. The steepest single-day fall came on Monday, when the market dropped 16.47 points (0.62 percent).
Sector-wise, all 13 groups posted declines.
- Life insurance suffered the sharpest point loss, plunging 232.76 points.
- Hotels and tourism recorded the biggest percentage drop, falling 2.71 percent.
Among individual stocks, Sindhu Bikas Bank led gainers with a 7.20 percent rise, while Apollo Hydropower Limited was the worst performer, shedding 11.80 percent.
Trading activity also cooled. Average daily turnover slid to Rs 4.798 billion from Rs 6.285 billion, a drop of 23.65 percent. Market capitalization fell to Rs 4.450 trillion from Rs 4.523 trillion, erasing Rs 73 billion in book value for investors — a steeper loss than the Rs 29.9 billion wiped out in the previous week.