KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index rose by 54.51 points on Sunday, the first trading day of the week, closing at 2,931.55. This marks a 1.89% increase compared to the previous trading session.

The Sensitive Index also gained 11.11 points, reaching 505.31, which is a 2.24% rise from the previous day. A total of 364 companies were traded through 204,955 transactions, with 61.4 million shares changing hands, generating a turnover of Rs 23.59 billion.

Among the traded companies, 183 saw their share prices increase, 73 declined, and 8 remained unchanged. Of the 13 sectoral indices, all except the trading group ended in the green, with the trading sector slipping marginally by 0.11%.

Major gainers included commercial banks (2.49%), development banks (2.46%), finance (2.13%), hotels and tourism (3.05%), hydropower (0.33%), and investment (0.77%), while life insurance (2.00%), manufacturing and processing (1.93%), microfinance (4.21%), mutual funds (1.24%), non-life insurance (2.72%), and others (1.71%) also posted gains.

Six companies hit the positive circuit limit of 10%, including Corporate Development Bank, Salpa Development Bank, Reliance Spinning Mills, Abhiyan Laghubitta, Solu Hydropower Limited, and Bhujung Hydropower Limited, while investors in NIC Asia Balanced Fund faced a loss of 5.71%.

In terms of turnover and volume, Kumari Bank Limited led the market with transactions worth Rs 859.6 million and 3.54 million shares traded, closing at Rs 243 per share.