Kathmandu, September 30
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index surpassed the 2,500 mark on Monday, closing at 2,508 points after an increase of 44.45 points compared to the previous trading day. Despite the rise in the index, the overall trading volume decreased, with a turnover of Rs 3.71 billion compared to Rs 4.05 billion the day before.
Out of 210 companies, 210 witnessed an increase in share prices, 33 saw a decline, and one remained unchanged. All sectors except mutual funds experienced gains. The sectoral increments were as follows: Banking increased by 1.18%, Development Banks by 1.93%, Finance by 4.19%, Hotels & Tourism by 3.28%, Hydropower by 1.22%, Investment by 2.45%, Life Insurance by 1.78%, Manufacturing & Processing by 3.83%, Microfinance by 1.85%, Non-Life Insurance by 0.71%, Others by 2.37%, and the Trading group by 1.52%.
Among the top 10 companies with the highest price gains, four were cement companies, making all listed cement companies among the top gainers of the day. The companies included CEEDB Hydropower with a 10% gain, United Modi Hydropower at 9.5%, Sarbottam Cement at 9.4%, Sonapur Cement at 9.1%, Shivam Cement at 7.9%, Mahuli Laghubitta at 7.3%, Hathway Investment at 7.1%, and Ghorahi Cement at 6.8%.
Investors have shown a growing interest in the cement sector due to expectations of increased activity in the construction sector after the Dashain-Tihar festive period. The demand for cement is also projected to rise for rebuilding structures damaged by floods and landslides, which is drawing investment into the sector. Despite a decline in the overall market the previous day, the manufacturing sector had increased, primarily driven by cement companies.
On the downside, NLG Insurance saw the highest price drop, declining by 4.6%. Similarly, Ingwa Hydropower’s price fell by 4.1%, Upper Syange Hydropower by 3.9%, and Sagarmatha Hydropower by 3.2%. In terms of trading volume, CEEDB Hydropower, Sarbottam Cement, Shivam Cement, Nepal Finance, and Himalayan Reinsurance led the market.
