KATHMANDU: Nepal’s stock market edged higher on Tuesday, the second trading day of the week, with the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index gaining 0.79 points to close at 2,641.85. The market fluctuated throughout the trading session before ending marginally higher.

The latest gain represents a 0.03 percent increase from the previous trading day, when NEPSE had dropped 9.04 points. Trading turnover also increased, reaching Rs 4.109 billion on Tuesday compared with Rs 3.674 billion on Monday.

The sensitive index rose 0.85 points, or 0.18 percent, to 462.22 points. Likewise, the float index increased by 0.09 percent, while the sensitive float index gained 0.19 percent.

A total of 8,532,056 shares of 340 companies changed hands through 52,033 transactions during the day.

Of the companies traded, share prices of 133 companies advanced, while 122 declined and 20 remained unchanged.

Among the 13 sectoral sub-indices, six closed higher while seven declined. The Commercial Bank sub-index gained 0.32 points, while the Development Bank and Finance sub-indices declined by 0.10 and 0.07 points, respectively.

Hotels and Tourism rose 0.50 percent, followed by Hydropower at 0.05 percent, Investment at 0.07 percent and Life Insurance at 0.09 percent.

On the declining side, Manufacturing and Processing fell 0.08 percent, Microfinance 0.36 percent, Mutual Funds 0.40 percent, and Non-Life Insurance 0.40 percent. The Trading sub-index dropped 0.77 percent, while the Others sub-index increased by 0.03 percent.

Upper Lohore Khola Hydropower Company recorded the biggest gain of the day, with its share price rising 14.99 percent. In contrast, Mahila Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha suffered the largest decline, falling 14.91 percent.

In terms of turnover, Solu Hydropower led the market, with shares worth Rs 448.7 million traded. Meanwhile, Ridi Power Company topped the list by volume, with 879,886 shares changing hands. Its closing price stood at Rs 377 per share.