The market index posts two and a half months’ lowest mark  

KATHMANDU, Feb 25: Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) on Sunday nosedived 26.81 points to close at 1,979.02 points. 

It is for the first time in the past two and a half months that the market index has fallen below 2,000 points. Last time, the market closed at 1,994.60 points on December 14, 2003.

The market opened at 2,005.83 points and rose to the day’s high at 2,011.68 points in the first few minutes of trading. In the next 20 minutes, the market index dropped to 1,991 points and hovered around the similar range for the next two hours. In the remaining period, the market declined further and lost an additional 12 points.

The sensitive index that measures the performance of ‘A’ class companies declined 5.74 points. The daily turnover decreased to 3.086 billion from Rs 3.206 billion on Thursday.

Only two groups including manufacturing and processing, and finance gained 48.07 points and 25.36 points, respectively. Of the losers, hotels and tourism shed the highest of 78.64 points.   

Among individual companies, 38 were recorded as gainers whereas 206 were losers.

Sun Nepal Life Insurance Company Limited with a total transaction of its shares worth Rs 251.81 million led the segment. Samaj Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited lost the highest of 10 percent of its market value, while Bottlers Nepal (Balaju) Limited was registered as the top gainer.