KATHMANDU: On the last trading day of the week, Thursday, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index closed lower by 17.53 points. During the week, NEPSE declined on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, while it posted gains on Sunday and Wednesday.

After a strong 57.55-point rise on Sunday that boosted investor optimism, sentiment turned negative as the market fell by 3.07 points on Monday, 42.58 points on Tuesday, and 17.53 points on Thursday. On Wednesday, NEPSE had recovered slightly with a 5.38-point gain.

Compared to Wednesday’s close, NEPSE dropped by 0.64 percent on Thursday to settle at 2,714.05 points. The Sensitive Index also declined by 1.55 points to 462.71, a fall of 0.33 percent.

Over the week, the Sensitive Index rose 1.73 percent on Sunday, but fell by 0.34 percent on Monday, 1.56 percent on Tuesday, 0.04 percent on Wednesday, and 0.33 percent on Thursday.

On Thursday, shares of 320 companies were traded through 138,883 transactions. A total of 35.47 million shares changed hands, generating a turnover of Rs 14.56 billion.

Earlier in the week, total turnover stood at Rs 13.78 billion on Sunday, Rs 16.35 billion on Monday, Rs 14.16 billion on Tuesday, Rs 11.49 billion on Wednesday.

Out of 13 trading sub-indices on Thursday, only three recorded gains, while 10 declined. The commercial banks index fell by 0.47 percent, development banks by 2.23 percent, finance by 1.75 percent, and hotels and tourism by 1.29 percent.

Meanwhile, the hydropower index rose by 0.38 percent and the investment group by 0.08 percent.

Other declines were seen in life insurance (0.63 percent), manufacturing and processing (2.12 percent), and microfinance (0.60 percent). The mutual fund index, however, increased by 0.36 percent.

On the gainers’ side, non-life insurance rose by 0.74 percent, others by 1.12 percent, and the trading group by 0.17 percent.

In Thursday’s session, share prices of 85 companies increased, 170 declined, and five remained unchanged.

Among individual stocks, Himal Dolakha Hydropower Company Limited provided notable gains earlier in the week, with investors earning 9.23 percent, closing at Rs 213 per share. In contrast, Corporate Development Bank Limited, Mithila Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited, and Saptakoshi Development Bank hit the negative circuit, losing 10 percent each on Thursday.

The highest turnover of the day was recorded by Ngadi Group Power Limited, with shares worth NPR 599.91 million traded. The company’s share price closed at Rs 430 per share.