Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index climbed 34.22 points on Thursday to close the week at 2,600.38 points.
This was the first time that the index ended above the psychological 2,600-point level since October 7 when the bourse closed at 2,604.96 points.
Although the benchmark slipped early in the day—falling to an intra-day low of 2,548.78 points within the first trading hour, it rebounded strongly to end the session 1.33% higher. The late recovery reflected renewed investor confidence across key sectors, particularly hydropower and insurance.
Market activity also strengthened as total turnover rose to Rs 7.51 billion. Investors traded 26.01 million shares through 53,112 transactions during the session. Out of the 249 scrips traded, 216 gained, 28 declined, and five remained unchanged.
Himalayan Bank Ltd (Promoters) accounted for the largest share of market turnover, with Rs 1.66 billion worth of its shares traded. Radhi Bidyut Company Ltd and Nepal Reinsurance Company Ltd followed with turnovers of Rs 376 million and Rs 341.03 million, respectively.
Among sectoral indices, all but the Mutual Fund sub-index ended in positive territory. The Mutual Fund sub-index inched down by 0.18%, while the Hydropower sub-index led the gains, closing 2.67% higher. Life Insurance and Non-Life Insurance sub-indices rose by 1.8 percent and 1.75 percent, respectively, buoyed by sustained buying interest in financial and energy counters.
