KATHMANDU: On Thursday, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) opened with a strong surge, hitting a positive circuit within just three minutes of trading as the index rose 102 points, or 4 percent, reaching 2,675 points.

Trading was briefly halted for 20 minutes due to a circuit breaker, and by the market close, gains had narrowed significantly.

The NEPSE ended the day up by only 22.59 points, closing at 2,582.18.

A total of Rs 5.27 billion worth of shares changed hands during the session.

Among the traded companies, 200 saw their share prices rise, 41 recorded declines, and 10 remained unchanged.

Bindabasini Hydropower sellers earned the highest profits, while Three Star Hydropower sellers faced the biggest losses.

Sectoral sub-indices were mostly positive, except for the trading group.