KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index closed at 2,696.65 points on Tuesday, up 35 points, or 1.33%. After fluctuating throughout the day, the index finished at 2,709.89 points by 2:39 pm after reaching a low of 2,609.81 at 12:40 pm. The index started the day at 2,669.41 points. It finished strong, closing at the day's highest point. The sensitive index, which tracks class 'A' stocks, increased by 0.67%, while the float index, which measures actively traded shares, rose by 1.17%.

The market overall was positive, with only four sectors experiencing losses. The Banking sub-index fell by 0.76%, followed by losses in the Trading sector (0.57%), Non-Life Insurance sector (0.36%), and Mutual Fund sector (0.14%). In contrast, the Hotels and Tourism sector led the gainers with a 5.99% increase, and the Finance sector followed closely with a 5.98% gain. Other sectors also saw positive movement, including the Others sector (3.52%), Investment sector (3.15%), Hydropower sector (3.12%), and Development sector (2.40%).

Among individual stocks, 189 companies saw their values rise, 47 experienced declines, and six remained unchanged. Notably, Progressive Finance Limited, Barun Hydropower Company Ltd., Sanjen Jalvidyut Company Limited, and Nepal Warehousing Company Limited each saw a 12% increase in their share prices.

The day's trading resulted in a turnover of Rs 17 billion from 40,371,778 shares exchanged across 329 companies in 206,643 transactions. This represents a decrease from the previous day's turnover of Rs 19 billion. The total market capitalization was recorded at Rs 4.278 trillion.