Kathmandu, Aug. 14: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index declined by 7.37 points on Friday, the last trading day of the week, closing at 2,643.83 points. The benchmark index had gained 8.81 points on Thursday.

On Friday, share prices of 101 companies increased, while 164 declined. The prices of 12 companies remained unchanged. Despite the fall in the index, market turnover improved. Shares worth Rs 4.27 billion were traded on Friday, compared to Rs 3.72 billion on Thursday.

Most sectoral indices moved by less than 1 percent. Banking fell by 0.14 percent, development banks by 0.33 percent, finance by 0.73 percent, hotels and tourism by 0.33 percent, hydropower by 0.34 percent, investment by 0.92 percent, production and processing by 0.38 percent, non-life insurance by 0.43 percent, and trading by 2.57 percent.

However, life insurance rose by 0.27 percent, microfinance by 0.28 percent, mutual funds by 0.24 percent, and the “others” group by 0.44 percent. The share price of recently listed Mount Everest Power surged by 15 percent.

In terms of turnover, Khanikhola Hydropower was among the most actively traded companies. According to NEPSE, the highest transaction value was recorded in Krishi Bikas Bank Bond. Liberty Energy, Nagdi Hydropower, and NRN Infrastructure and Development Company also witnessed significant trading volumes.