Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index returned to negative territory on Thursday, slipping 8.14 points to close at 2,728.03.
The benchmark index had snapped a four-day losing run with a modest gain on Wednesday, making investors optimistic of a recovery. However, their hopes were short-lived as the market moved into the red after just one session.
After opening on a positive note and briefly climbing above the 2,740-point mark during midday trading, the index gradually lost momentum. It trended downward for the remainder of the day before settling near the day’s low.
Investor sentiment remained largely bearish, with declining stocks significantly outnumbering gainers. Unit prices of 179 scrips declined during the session, while 81 advanced and 13 remained unchanged. Total turnover also fell to Rs 3.91 billion with 9.23 million units traded across 58,391 transactions.
Newly-listed Sopan Pharmaceuticals continued its winning run, recording the highest gain of 15% on Thursday as well. Next were Apollo Hydropower Ltd and Bottlers Nepal (Balaju) with gains of 14.97% and 8.33%, respectively. On the other hand, Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd posted the biggest loss of 13.51%.
Cit Hotels Ltd topped the turnover chart with total transactions of Rs 236.34 million. Central Finance Company Ltd and Bungal Hydro Ltd were next with turnovers of Rs 175.65 million and Rs 164.5 million, respectively.
Among 13 trading groups, only two ended the session with nominal gains, while the remaining 11 posted losses. The Hotels & Tourism sub-index posted the biggest gain of 0.47%. On the other hand, the Finance sub-index recorded the highest loss at 1.45%. Next were the Trading and the Others sub-indices with losses of 1.23% and 0.91%, respectively.
