●NEPSE continues to grow●

Posted on 2009-07-15
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) continued its upward run on Sunday with NEPSE index rising by 8.18 points. NEPSE index closed at 711.06 points at the end of trading on Sunday.

The double digit rise in banking sub-index pushed the NEPSE index. The banking sub-index was increased by 14.39 points. Finance and insurance were other indices to post gain. Finance up by 2.44 points, Insurance up by 4.53 points.

Development bank and hydropower were down by 0.71 points and 8.21 points respectively.

Among the 22 commercial banks on NEPSE, Nabil Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 140 points while the KIST Bank lost the most on the trading floor by shedding 6 points on Sunday.

Similarly, among the 9 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Sunday, Triveni Bikas Bank had the highest increase of 58 points while Business Development Bank dropped 20 points. Likewise, Central Finance was the highest gainer among finance companies with an increase of 28 points in its share price. Fewa Finance lost 16 points.

The turnover at NEPSE on Sunday stood at Rs. 116.58 million through 284,664 units of shares. 54 companies at the trading floor.

The top five gainers on NEPSE were Bank Of Asia Nepal Limited which saw an increase of 9.56 percent in its share price followed by Triveni Bikas Bank Limited, Kumari Bank Limited, Central Finance Company Limited and Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank.

Similarly, the top five losers of the day were Standard Finance Limited which lost 3.08 percent of its share price followed by Business Development Bank Limited, Nepal Finance and Saving Company Limited, Butwal Power Company Limited and Sanima Vikas Bank Limited.

●NEPSE upbeat as House resumes●

Posted on 2009-07-09
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) rose for the third consecutive day as investor confidence returns with the resumption of the House ending a two-month-long political deadlock. The NEPSE index jumped 9.41 points on Tuesday to close at 685.55.

All the major sub-indices on NEPSE registered a positive growth with banking and hydropower rising by double digits. The banking index was up 13.61 points while hydropower grew by 12.46 points. Likewise, the development bank, finance and insurance sub-indices increased by 8.88 points, 2.16 points and 1.25 points respectively. Among the 21 commercial banks on NEPSE, Nabil Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 119 points while Everest Bank´s convertible preference shares lost the most on the trading floor on Tuesday.

Similarly, among the 12 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Tuesday, Ace Development Bank witnessed the highest increase of 30 points while Sanima Bikas Bank dropped 27 points. Shares of 17 financial institutions were traded on NEPSE on Tuesday with 11 gainers and six of them seeing a fall in their share prices. Likewise, Fewa Finance was the highest gainer among finance companies with an increase of 61 points in its share price.

The turnover at NEPSE on Tuesday stood at Rs. 41.87 million with 74,501 units of shares changing hands.

The top five gainers on NEPSE were Fewa Finance with a 9.87 percent rise in its stock price followed by Bhrikuti Bikas Bank, Kumari Bank, Himalayan Bank and Ace Development Bank.

●NEPSE maintains upward trend●

Posted on 2009-07-08
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) maintained its rebound gaining 0.98 point at the end of trading Monday.

Only a few sub-indices showed an increment on the floor. The highest gainer among the sub-indices was the development bank sector which grew 10.73 points followed by banking with an increase of 1.65 points and the finance sector which increased 1.08 points. However, the hydropower sector, which was on top yesterday, showed a decline of 11.35 points and insurance also fell 1.59 points.

Among the 20 commercial banks on NEPSE, Nabil Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 85 points while Siddhartha Bank lost the most on the trading floor by shedding 33 points on Monday. Similarly, among the 11 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Monday, Triveni Bikas Bank witnessed the highest increase of 51 points while Clean Energy Development Bank dropped 7 points.

Likewise, Fewa Finance Company was the highest gainer among finance companies with an increase of 45 points in its share price. United Finance lost 26 points. The turnover at NEPSE on Monday stood at Rs. 51.043 million compared to Rs. 107.016 million on Sunday through 94,427 units of shares. The top five gainers on NEPSE were Annapurna Bikas Bank with a 9.07 percent rise in its stock price followed by Triveni Bikas Bank, Fewa Finance Company, ACE Development Bank and Swabhalambhan Bikas Bank.

Similarly, the top five losers on Monday were Siddhartha Bank which fell by 3.61 percent followed by Lumbini Bank, United Finance, KIST Bank and Lord Buddha Financial Institution.

Bank of Asia Nepal topped the chart in terms of turnover with Rs. 3.776 million.

●NEPSE pulls out of weeklong dive●

Posted on 2009-07-06
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) started the week on a good note gaining 7.73 points at the end of trading Sunday.

The sub-indices after a very long time showed a double-digit increment on the floor. The highest gainer among the sub-indices was the hydropower sector which grew by 11.5 points followed by banking with an increase of 10.74 points and the development bank sector which increased by 6.72 points. However, finance and insurance fell 5.21 and 0.15 points respectively on Sunday.

Among the 20 commercial banks on NEPSE, Himalayan Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 59 points while the Bank of Kathmandu lost the most on the trading floor by shedding 56 points on Sunday. Similarly, among the 10 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Sunday, Clean Energy Development Bank witnessed the highest increase of 47 points while Sanima Bikas Bank dropped 38 points.

Likewise, IME Financial Institution was the highest gainer among finance companies with an increase of 31 points in its share price. NIDC Capital Markets lost 466 points. Shares of 15 financial institutions were traded on NEPSE on Sunday with only nine gainers and three of them seeing a fall in their share prices. The turnover at NEPSE on Sunday stood at Rs. 107.016 million through 330,795 units of shares.

The top five gainers on NEPSE were ICFC Bittiya Sanstha with a 6.52 percent rise in its stock price followed by Paschimanchal Bikas Bank, Clean Energy Development Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank and Bank of Asia Nepal. Similarly, the top five losers on Sunday were NIDC Capital Markets which fell by 27.97 percent followed by Infrastructural Development Bank, Sagarmatha Insurance Company, National Hydropower Company and Bank of Kathmandu.

Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank topped the chart in terms of turnover with Rs. 31.297 million.

●NEPSE keeps falling●

Posted on 2009-07-01
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) continued to fall on Monday too dropping 2.39 points to close at 663.96 points.

All the sub-indices witnessed a decline with the hydropower sector plunging 8.5 points. Other sectors which posted a drop were finance which shed 2.95 points, banking down 1.66 points, development bank down 0.97 point and insurance which lost 0.52 point.

Among the 21 commercial banks on NEPSE, Nepal Investment Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 10 points while Everest Bank Convertible Preference lost the most on the trading floor by shedding 39 points on Monday.

Similarly, among the 13 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Monday, Gandaki Bikas Bank witnessed the highest increase of 20 points while Siddhartha Development Bank fell by 9 points.

Among the four insurance companies, Siddhartha Insurance was the highest gainer on Monday with an increase of one point while Shikhar Insurance and Everest Insurance lost the most with its shares dropping 5 points each.

Likewise, Lalitpur Finance was the highest gainer among finance companies with an increase of 71 points in its share price. United Finance lost 54 points. Shares of 15 financial institutions were traded on NEPSE on Monday with only two gainers and nine of them seeing a fall in their share prices.

The turnover at NEPSE on Monday stood at Rs. 52.117 million through 84,861 units of shares.

The top five gainers on NEPSE were Lalitpur Finance with a 9.93 percent rise in its stock price followed by Gandaki Bikas Bank, Citizen Investment Trust, Machhapuchchhre Bank and Siddhartha Insurance.

Similarly, the top five losers on Monday were United Finance, Everest Bank Convertible Preference, International Leasing and Finance Company, Siddhartha Development Bank and Siddhartha Bank.

Malika Development Bank Promoter Share topped the chart in terms of turnover with Rs. 5.64 million.

●NEPSE slides 1.22 pts●

Posted on 2009-06-25
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) kept falling for the fourth successive day as potential investors stayed away from the secondary market in anticipation of the initial public offerings (IPOs) and issuance of rights shares of various companies.

The NEPSE index shed 1.22 point to close at 670.25 points on Wednesday.

Stock analysts attribute the low activity on NEPSE to the IPO of Public Development Bank and rights share issuance of other financial institutions. Accor-ding to stock analysts, investors are waiting for the IPO of Public Development Bank and rights shares issue of around half a dozen financial institutions.

Except banking and development bank, all the sub-indices declined on Wednesday. The banking and development bank sub-indices increased by 0.49 point and 1.71 points respectively.

Among the 20 commercial banks on NEPSE, Everest Bank posted the biggest growth with its stock rising by 41 points. Standard Chartered Bank lost the most on the trading floor on Wednesday.

Infrastructure Devel-opment Bank was the only gainer among development banks while two finance companies registered a growth in their stock prices.

Insurance companies´ performance was also dismal with four companies seeing a loss in their share prices. In the hydropower sector, Chilime Hydropower lost 35 points to close at Rs. 1130.

The turnover at NEPSE was better than Tuesday with total transactions of Rs. 33.54 million through 57,131 units of shares.

The top five gainers on NEPSE were Infrastructure Devel- opment Bank with a 4.55 percent rise in its stock price followed by Global Bank, National Hydro Power, Fewa Finance and NMB Bank.

Similarly, the top five losers on Wednesday were Civil Merchant Bittiya Sanstha with a 3.71 percent decline in its share price followed by Merchant Finance, Chilime Hydropower, Citizens Bank Interna-tional Ltd. and Annapurna Bikas Bank.

●Chilime: Demands galore●

Posted on 2009-06-24
KATHMANDU: The uncertainty over the Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) of Chilime Hydro Power Company still continues, with locals around the project site sticking to their demands regarding the provision of shares by the company. To enforce their demands, the locals have had the central office of the company, at Syafru, under padlock for the past few days.

Different stakeholders and protest committees formed in the name of the locals of Rasuwa district have threatened to shut down the 22 MW Chilime Hydro Electricity Project (CHEP) if locals do not get the demanded eight percent of the project´s shares. If the project were to shut down, power cuts in Kathmandu Valley would be likely to increase to six hours a day.

Chilime Hydro Company was ready to issue 2.34 million units of shares to the public this week. The company had agreed to provide eight percent of the shares (180,000 units) to locals living in the three affected VDCs of Chilime, Goljung and Syaffru .

According to Lila Nath Bhattarai, the managing director of the company, the conflict between locals and the company started after the Securities Board of Nepal, gave the company permission to allocate only five percent shares.

To protest that move, the locals filed a Public Interest Litigation against the company at the Supreme Court (SC), and the SC issued a stay order, to remain in effect until June 24, against the opening of the company´s IPO.

The company´s problems don´t end here. Besides the three affected VDCs identified by the project, four other VDCs have demanded that the company provide five percent of the shares to them.

And yet another protesting stakeholder committee led by a local, Phupawangdi Tamang, is making even bigger demands: The committee has demanded that the company provide shares to all the locals of Rasuwa district. Another local stakeholder committee named Remote Nepal has demanded total 33 percent shares to VDCs besides the three affected VDCs identified by the project and launched protest programmes from last week.

Similarly, Rasuwa Disabled Rehabilitation Center Nepal, Dhunche has launched protest programmes demanding separate 10,000 units of shares from the project.

According to Bhattarai, all administrative work of the project has been halted due to the protest programmes carried out by five concerned local stakeholder committees.

●NEPSE keeps going down●
Posted on 2009-06-24
KATHMANDU: For the third successive day, Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) witnessed a downfall. NEPSE index declined by 7.05 points on Tuesday to close at 671.47 points. At one point NEPSE index went below 670 mark but recovered when trading was closed.

Banking, development bank, insurance and finance sector dropped yet again while hydropower had minimal gain of 0.57 points. It was the poor performances of banking, development bank, finance and insurance that lead the fall in NEPSE index on Tuesday. Finance sector was the worst performer at NEPSE with a decline of 42.99 points.

On Tuesday, only six commercial banks posted growth in their stock while the 14 commercial banks suffered a loss. Bank of Kathmandu was the highest gainer among the commercial banks with a rise of 10 points in its share price while Everest Bank lost the most on the floor with a 71 point plunge.

The performance of development bank´s stock was much worser with only one dev. Bank posting growth. Clean Energy Development Bank and Subhechha Bikas Bank were the highest losers at NEPSE.

Among the 15 finance companies, only three saw their share prices going up on Tuesday. Nepal Share Markets was the biggest loser with a loss of whopping 592 points.

The top gainers on Wednesday were Nepal Bangladesh Bank with an increase of 2.08 percent in its share price followed by Machhapuchhre Bank, Merchant Finance, International Leasing & Finance and Pashupati Development Bank.

●NEPSE drops 4.48 points●

Posted on 2009-06-23
KATHMANDU: The secondary market of Nepal witnessed a decline of 4.48 points on Sunday. The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) had registered a minor gain of 4.97 points on Thursday.

NEPSE had a total turnover of Rs. 51.404 million through the transaction of 107,728 units of shares.

All the sub-indices on NEPSE witnessed a drop on Sunday with the banking sector standing on top with a drop of 7.07 points. Meanwhile, hydropower dropped by 4.65 points, development bank by 3.24, insurance by 1.92 points and finance by 1.46 points.

On Sunday, four commercial banks saw their stock going up while the stock of 16 banks fell. Nepal SBI Bank was the highest gainer among commercial banks with a rise of 20 points in its share price while Standard Chartered Bank lost the most on the floor with a 34-point plunge.

Chhimek Bikas Bank led the development banks with a gain of 12 points while only four development banks posted a growth in their stock prices.

Among the 16 finance companies, Kaski Finance was the biggest gainer with its stock going up by 11 points.

The top gainers on NEPSE were Chhimek Bikas Bank with an increase of 3.8 percent in its share price followed by Reliable Finance, Shikhar Bittiya Sanstha, Siddhartha Bank and Butwal Power Company.

Meanwhile, the top losers on Sunday were Premier Insurance Company with a decline of 9.57 percent in its share price.

●NEPSE posts nominal gain●

Posted on 2009-06-19
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) recorded a marginal gain of 0.97 point although the turnover and the number of shares traded declined sharply on Wednesday. The NEPSE index settled at 682.8 points when trading closed.

The sensitive index also posted a 1.09-point rise. Among the sub-indices, banking and development bank saw gains of 4.22 points and 0.47 point respectively while hydropower, finance and insurance registered a drop.

Shares of 21 commercial banks were traded on Wednesday with the stock prices of nine banks showing an increase. Standard Chartered Bank led the pack with an increase of 89 points in its share price while Nepal Credit and Commercial Bank lost the most on the floor with a 19-point plunge.

Among the nine development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE, only five saw their share prices go up. The top gainer among development banks was Pashupati Development Bank whose stock rose 15 points while Siddhartha Development Bank was the biggest loser with its stock shedding 10 points.

Likewise, shares of 14 finance companies changed hands on Wednesday with four finance companies posting an increase in their stock prices. Yeti Finance and Nepal Express Finance topped the chart with a gain of five points each while Sagarmatha Merchant Banking & Finance saw a drop of 25 points.

Chilime Hydropower saw a 38-point decline in its share price. The total turnover on NEPSE stood at Rs. 30.76 million with 52,621 shares of 52 companies being traded.

The top gainers on NEPSE were National Hydropower Company, Lumbini General Insurance, Pashupati Development Bank, Triveni Bikas Bank and Shikhar Insurance.

Meanwhile, the top losers on Wednesday were Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank, Merchant Finance Company, Sagarmatha Merchant Banking and Finance, Shikhar Bittiya Sanstha and Siddhartha Development Bank.

●NEPSE inches upward●

Posted on 2009-06-19
KATHMANDU: For the second consecutive day, the country´s only secondary market recorded positive growth. However, the growth was minimal. The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) registered a minor gain of 0.91 point on Thursday.

There was no significant improvement in the turnover and the number of shares traded. NEPSE had a total turnover of 43.24 million through the transaction of 71,248 units of shares.

Among the sub-indices, trading posted the biggest gain of 8.57 points while the banking sector saw a 1.31-point rise. Bishal Bazaar Company´s performance helped the trading sector to post this gain. Its stock went up by 100 points. The hydropower, finance and insurance sectors also registered positive growth.

Nepal Bangladesh Bank was the highest gainer among the commercial banks with a rise of 15 points in its share price while Everest Bank lost the most on the floor with a 42-point plunge. Annapurna Bikas Bank lead the development banks with a gain of 41 points while only

four development banks posted a growth in their stock prices.

Among the 18 finance companies, United Finance was the biggest gainer with its stock going up by 25 points.

●NEPSE up by 5 points●

Posted on 2009-06-17
KATHMANDU, June 17 - After going downhill for three straight days, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 5.42 points on Tuesday to close at 681.83 points.

The sensitive index and all the sub-indices also recorded a growth. Among the sub-indices, hydropower was the biggest gainer with 19.38 points. The banking sub-index posted a 1.81-point gain. Among the 21 commercial banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE on Tuesday, 13 saw their share prices go up. Nabil Bank was the highest gainer with a rise of 56 points.

A rise in the share price of Butwal Power Company (BPC) pushed up the hydropower sub-index by 19.38 points. BPC on Tuesday posted a gain of 37 points. The price of Chilime´s stock also increased by 10 points.

Among the 11 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE, seven saw their share prices go up. The top gainer among development banks was Clean Energy Development Bank whose stock rose 12 points while Business Development Bank was the biggest loser with its stock shedding 12 points.

Reliable Finance was the biggest gainer among finance companies with a gain of 37 points. NEPSE saw a total turnover of Rs. 49.47 million through 116,512 units of shares. Shares of 56 companies changed hands on NEPSE.

Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank, Reliable Finance, Shikhar Insurance, Butwal Power Company and Global Bank were the top five gainers on Tuesday. Likewise, Yeti Finance, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Lumbini Bank, Business Development Bank and Nepal Investment Bank were the top five losers on NEPSE.

●NEPSE down by 2.33pts●

Posted on 2009-06-16
KATHMANDU: For the second consecutive day, Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) fell recording a decline of 2.33 points to close at 676.41points at the end of trading on Monday.

The impact of Maoists bandh was seen at the NEPSE as both the number of shares traded and the daily turnover declined.
Banking sub-indices posted meager gain of 0.23 points. Of the 18 commercial banks that were on the trading floor of NEPSE on Monday, eight had their share prices going up. Nabil Bank was the highest gainer with a rise of 27 points.

The rise in Butwal Power Company (BPC)´s share price helped hydropower sub-indices to gain 7.13 points. BPC posted a gain of Rs. 36 on Monday. After the Supreme Court´s decision of stopping Chilime Hydropower´s IPO, its share price dropped by Rs. 10 to close at Rs. 1190.
However, slump continued in the development bank, insurance and finance sectors with a fall of 8.14 points, 4.69 points and 0.64 points respectively.

Among the 10 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE, only two had their share prices going up. The top gainer among development banks was Clean Energy Development Bank whose stock rose 15 points while Triveni Bikas Bank was the biggest loser with its stock shedding 56 points.
Monday saw rights shares of four financial institutions being listed in NEPSE. Among them were Pokhara Finance, Siddhartha Development Bank, Nepal Investment Bank Ltd and Infrastructure Development Bank. NEPSE had a total turnover of Rs. 39.58 million through 112,333 units of shares. There were only 50 companies present at the trading floor of the NEPSE.
Pokhara Finance, Butwal Power Company Citizen Bank, Nepal Industrial and Commercial Bank and NMB Bank were the top gainers at NEPSE on Monday. Meanwhile, Kuber Merchant Bittiya Sanstha, Shikhar Insurance, Triveni Bikas Bank, National Hyrdop-ower Company and Premier Insurance were the top five losers.

●New dept to monitor commodity market●

Posted on 2009-06-14
KATHMANDU: To ease supplies and check the undue rise in prices of essential commodities, the government is mulling over setting up a separate department to monitor and intervene in the commodity market.

The new set up is being worked out because the government has failed to provide "relief" and live up to its commitment to check undue price rises through the present weak set up that looks after supplies related issues. “We have already started the necessary homework for establishing a Supply Management Department to deal with supplies and pricing related issues,” said Ganesh Dhakal, joint secretary at Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS).

He told myrepublica.com that the new department will have supply inspectors who will always keep track of the availability of essential commodities in the market and also monitor their pricing and quality. They will also work to effectively enforce laws pertaining to consumers´ rights, free and fair market operations and to restrict anti-competitive practices.

MoCS is also developing a mechanism that will foster better coordination among state-owned enterprises through which the government implements relief packages in the market.

All these new initiatives are being taken after the newly formed government instructed the ministry to devise tools and mechanisms that will give relief to consumers. The government has deemed the “improvement of supplies” and the “checking skyrocketing prices of essential goods” as its top priority agenda in the Common Minimum Program, which the leaders of 22-party coalition approved recently.

With this priority list in place, the ministry is now mulling over finalizing its supply policy within three months.

In an effort to give relief to the general people, the government has already intervened in the sugar and rice markets, by supplying those commodities through Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) at subsidized rates. The corporation is supplying local sona mansuli and Japanese rice at Rs 28 and Rs 40 per kg, respectively.

Likewise, it is also retailing sugar at Rs 51.50 per kg. The Salt Trading Corporation and National Trading Limited too are supplying sugar to retailers at the subsidized rates of Rs 51.75 per kg. This intervention has dragged the retail price of sugar down, from Rs 60 per kg to Rs 53 over the last couple of weeks.

Moreover, the NFC has lately started selling a total of 100,000 liters of edible oils at a subsidized rate. It is supplying the product at prices some 30 rupees cheaper than the market rates per liter.

But what´s behind the price rises, in the first place? Purushottam Ojha, secretary at the MoCS, attributed the persistent rise in the prices of food items to trader cartels. "The rise is artificial and it has continued even as global prices of food items and edible oil have receded significantly," he said.

At a program organized by the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) to discuss the current price rises in the market, Ojha vowed to take stringent action against those who flout free-market norms and resort to anti-competitive practices.

●Vibor IPO sees blanket sale●

Posted on 2009-06-12
KATHMANDU: All the Initial Public Offerings (IPOS) floated by Vibor Bikas Bank Limited have been over subscribed by Thursday, according to its issue manager NMB Bank Limited.
Vibor, which announced IPOS on Wednesday, has issued 2.65 million ordinary shares worth Rs. 265 million. NMB said the issuance of shares will be closed on Saturday.

According to Samir Chhetri, chief of investment banking department at NMB, the shares worth Rs. 138 million were subscribed on Wednesday, while Thursday saw shares worth more than Rs. 140 million subscribed.

"We are yet to get reports from 10 collection centres about the progress on Thursday," Chhetri told the Post on Thursday evening. There are 39 collection centres for share applications. More than 22,000 people have subscribed Vibor shares so far, according to Chhetri.

●Nepse index tumbles down again●

Posted on 2009-06-12
KATHMANDU: After two consecutive days gain, Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) recorded minimal loss on Thursday. NEPSE index closed at 684.39 points at the close of the last trading day of the week.

It was the day when trading of two new commercial banks - Citizens Bank International and Bank of Asia Nepal - commenced. Among them, Citizens Bank International got better price than the Bank of Asia. Bank of Asia´s price reached a peak of Rs. 533 and closed at Rs. 474. Similary, Citizen Bank International´s stock went up to Rs. 588 but closed at Rs. 572.

Thursday saw trading of 4,430 units of Citizens Bank shares whereas the number of Bank of Asia was 5,870 units.
Shares of 19 commercial banks were traded on Thursday with the stock prices of seven banks showing an increase. Standard Chartered Bank lost the most on the floor with a 80-point decline.

Among the 10 development banks whose shares were traded on NEPSE, four saw its share prices going up. The top gainer among development banks was Triveni Bikas Bank whose stock rose 30 points while Ace Development Bank was the biggest loser with its stock shedding 15 points.
Triveni Bikas Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Pashupati Development Bank, Kaski Finance and Gorkha Development Bank were the top gainers at NEPSE. People´s Finance, Global Bank, Nepal Express Finance, Pokhara Finance and DCBL bank were the top five losers.

●NEPSE dips by 5.15 points●

Posted on 2009-06-10
KATHMANDU: After five days of downward spiraling, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) rose 0.76 percent, or 5.15 points, to reach 684.88 points at the end of Tuesday´s trading.

The gain in the NEPSE, an indicator of investor´s confidence in the capital market, was made possible by the increases in the sub-indices of the major trading groups. Share analyst say that the recent topsy-turviness seen in the NEPSE--Nepal´s sole secondary market--is a natural phenomenon.

“It is the nature of any market, including the stock market, to fluctuate. The latest upheavals were not driven by any one, major factor and such a trend will continue for the next few months,” said Nanda Kishore Mundada, president of the Stock Brokers Association of Nepal.

The Banking group saw its sub-index rise by double digits, 10.54 points, to reach 705.6 points. Similarly, the sub-indices of the Hotel and Hydropower groups gained 2.9 points and 37.99 points to climb to 369.35 points and 905.73 points, respectively. The Insurance group´s index also saw a gain of 0.13 points, to get to 648.89 points.

However, the Development Bank and Finance groups´ sub-indices dropped 7.03 points and 5.94 points, to finish at 734.4 points and 738.55 points, respectively. On a similar note, the sub-index of the Others group lost 5.88 points, to settle at 646.19 points at the end of trading session on Tuesday. A total of 105,554 units of shares, worth Rs 68.24 million, were traded through 704 transactions to push the total market capitalization to 438.78 points.

●NEPSE fails to sustain previous week�s growth●

Posted on 2009-06-07
KATHMANDU: The capital market failed to sustain the gains made in the previous week with the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index falling by 9.01 points. NEPSE started off with at 707.89 points on Sunday, the highest it reached last week. The index closed at 698.88 points on Thursday, the last day of trading. The index saw crossing the threshold of 700 points four days of the previous week.

The sensitive index that measures the transaction of ´A´ class companies declined and the floor index that measures ordinary shares also went down. The sensitive index decreased by 0.84 points and floor index by 0.58 points. Altogether, 608,464 shares worth Rs. 345.1 million were traded over the week in 5,346 transactions. Moreover, Rs. 447,755.80 million market capitalization was registered over the week.

Last week saw the Nepal Rastra Bank initiating liquidation process of Nepal Development Bank citing its vulnerable financial position. Following the central bank decision on Tuesday, the NEPSE stopped its trading from Wednesday. It has been argued that the NRB action against Nepal Development Bank and the fluid political situation also contributed to downfall in the NEPSE index last week.

In the primary market, Vibor Development Bank is set to open its Initial Public Offerings (IPO) to the general public on June 10. In another development, Citizens Bank International and Bank of Asia were listed on the stock exchange last week and will begin trading this week.

In a sector wise analysis almost all the sub indices declined with only development bank group gaining by 13.06 percent. Hydropower group saw its index decline by 26.09 percent, others by 23.49 percent, insurance by 7.61 percent, commercial banks by 5.61 percent and finance companies´ group by 1.62 percent. Manufacturing, hotels and trading groups saw remained stabel.

Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank topped in terms of amount of transaction with Rs.40.7 million and the Prabhu Finance gained first place in terms of number of share traded with 2274 units.


weekly review

Date Nepse Index (in points) Total Turnover

04/06/09 698.88 61,248,681

03/06/09 699.62 84,755,490

02/06/09 703.01 68,876,545

01/06/09 699.95 39,020,543

31/05/09 707.89 91,283,741
Top Five in turnover

Company Turnover Amount

NCC Bank 40.75

Standard Chartered 36.49

Prabhu Finance 36.45

Paschimachal Dev. Bank 27.44

Bank of Kathmandu 19.21

●NEPSE continues to lose●

Posted on 2009-06-02
KATHMANDU: Since the delay in the expansion of the new government has cast its shadow over investors, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE), index has seen a drop for the second consecutive day of this week´s trading.

The NEPSE index, a barometer of the consumer´s confidence level in stock market, closed 7.94 points lower at 699.95 points on Monday. After recording a 30.55 point surge during last week, the NEPSE had nosedived by 10.73 points to close at 707.89 points on Sunday.

The NEPSE moved to the red-zone because most of the sub-indices of most of the trading groups plummeted during Monday´s trading.

The Banking group, which command a significant hold in the country´s sole secondary market, lost 3.12 points to slump to 719.6 points.

The sub-indices of the Hydropower and the Others groups too fared poorly. They lost 21.43 points and 14.09 points to finish at 866.05 points and 684.96 points, respectively. In like manner, the Finance and the Insurance groups also recorded losses, marginal though they were, of 3.86 points and 0.06 points to settle at 756.94 points and 651.91 points, respectively.

The Development Bank group´s sub-index, however, rose 2.69 points to reach 759.6 points during Monday´s trading.

The Sensitive Index, which shows the performance of category ´A´ companies, declined 0.78 points to get to 186.7 points. Similarly, the Float index--the indicator of share prices of ordinary shares in the market--also lost 0.37 points to end at 67.36 points.

The total turnover on Monday stood at Rs 30.02 million, with 57,837 shares traded through 1,130 transactions. The total market capitalization--the total worth of shares of all the listed companies--declined to Rs 448.44 billion on Monday, from Rs 453.52 billion of Sunday.

●NEPSE up with Nepal poised to be PM●
　Posted on 2009-05-19
　KATHMANDU: With the stage set for formation of a new non-Maoist government, Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) showed signs of improvement after remaining unstable throughout last week as it jumped on Sunday and Monday with a surge of 18.7422 points to reach 680.12 points.
　NEPSE index saw double digit growth after a gap of almost two months. The last time NEPSE index increased by double digit was on March 22, 2009 when it soared almost 17 points.
　All major indices of the secondary market saw growth on Monday. The sensitive index went up by 5.07 points while float index increased by 1.46 points. Among the sub-indices, banking, development bank, finance and others had double digit growth. Banking sub-indices went up by 21.85 points.
　On Monday, the turnover, number of traded shares and number of transactions, all went up by double digits. The turnover increased by 15.27 percent to reach Rs. 103.63 million. Similarly, the number of traded shares and tra-nsactions also increased by 20.44 percent and 22.40 percent respectively.
　Most of the companies saw their share price go up with the share price of only eight companies declining on Monday.
　According to stock analysts, significant rise in turnover, transaction and traded shares means the secondary market is gaining positive momentum.
　Stock analysts attribute the rise in secondary market to the political development. According to them, stock market was looking for reasons to surge and the prospect of Madhav Kumar Nepal becoming prime minister getting brighter gave that ground.
　Stock analyst Rabindra Bha-ttarai said, “ There is no other reason than political change for the rise in stock market.”
　However, there are others who think the climate is still cloudy. Stock broker Nabraj Pokhrel said, “The drive of the market looks positive but there is still a question regarding its sustainability as there are many uncertainties ahead.”
　According to Pokhrel, the market endorsed the political development on Sunday itself with NEPSE gaining by almost five points.
　The impressive performance of commercial banks helped NEPSE post double digit growth. Of the 18 commercial banks, only DCBL Bank and Nepal Bangladesh Bank saw their share price fall. Standard Chartered Bank posted the biggest rise among commercial banks

●NEPSE rallies 4.74 points on winds of political change●
　KATHMANDU: The confirmation that the next government would be headed by a non-Maoist leadership has led to the share investors responding positively to the fresh political developments.
　The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index closed 4.74 points higher, to reach 665.7 points on Sunday, the first day of this week´s transaction. That positive bump to the NEPSE during Sunday´s trading came about as a result of the impressive gains made in the indices of the Banking group and the Finance group.
　By Sunday´s close, the Banking group and the Finance group had risen by 9.49 points and 9.05 points, to end at 668.02 points and 758.76 points, respectively. On a similar note, the Trading group and the Others group also rallied by 4.37 points and 2.35 points, to get to 239.01 points and 646.19 points, respectively.
　The Sensitive Index, which represents the performance of category ´A´ companies listed in the NEPSE, too was riding the upward curve. It rallied by 1.42 points, to reach 175.54 points. Similarly, the Float Index--the indicator of prices of ordinary shares in the market--gained 0.42 points, to reach 64.31 points.
　But the Development Bank group bucked the day´s trend, and how. The index of the Development Bank group suffered a whopping loss of 36.03 points, to drop to 743.07 points. 　The Hydropower group and the Insurance group also saw losses, although the losses were negligible: 1.77 points and 0.2 points, to finish at 873.3 points and 625.87 points, respectively.
　During Sunday´s trading, a total of 122,070 units of shares worth Rs 89.89 million were traded through 1,522 transactions. The Total market capitalization--the price of the total shares listed on the NEPSE-- reached Rs 426.49 billion.

●Erratic stock movement●
　KATHMANDU: As with the political scenario in the country, business at the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) to remained unstable throughout the week. NEPSE index had erratic movement with a high of 661.55 points on Wednesday.
　The week began on positive note with NEPSE index soaring by almost 7 points on Sunday. But the decline of 1.25 points on Monday, dashed hopes of those who had thought the market has finally started moving in positive direction. NEPSE index has even made minor gains in the next two days. But it went down by 0.59 points on the last day of trading. Through the NEPSE index gained 0.55 points over the week.
　Among the sub-indices, banking, insurance and others has negative growth. Hydropower, finance and development bank gained 46.99 points, 3.59 points and 5.36 points respectively.
　Standard Chartered Bank posted the highest turnover of the week followed by Nepal Development and Employment Promotion Bank, Nepal SBI Bank, International Leasing & Finance and Bank of Kathmandu.
　In terms of share trading, Nepal Development and Employment Promotion Bank topped the chart. The total turnover of the NEPSE went down by 5.41 percent. Shares worth Rs. 277.34 million were traded over the week.
　The inconsistent movement of NEPSE index, decline in turnover indicates secondary market is also waiting the formation of the new government.
Date Nepse Index (in points) Turnover (in Rs. Million)
　10/5/09 660.42 32.87
　11/5/09 659.17 53.57
　12/5/09 660.05 47.60
　13/5/09 661.55 80.86
　14/5/09 660.96 62.41
Top Five in turnover
Company Turnover Amount
　Standard Chartered Bank 36.64
　Nepal Dev. & Employment Promotion Bank 35.52
　Nepal SBI Bank 14.99
　International Leasing and Finance 13.91
　Bank of Kathmandu 13.11
Top Gainer
　Bishal Bazaar Company Limited 2500 (+190)
Top Loser
　Everest Bank 2190(-135)

●NEPSE fluctuates day & again●
　KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) kept up its upward trend Wednesday with the index rising 1.5 points. The Sensitive Index also witnessed an increase of 0.72 points.
　The top gainers on the trading floor on Wednesday were the banking, trading, development bank, hydropower and financial sectors. The trading sector saw the maximum rise of 16.28 points.
　Wednesday saw a total turnover of Rs. 80.862 million with 110,500 shares being traded. About 58 scripts of various companies were traded on NEPSE on Wednesday.
　The top gainers in Wednesday´s trading included Shikhar Bittiya Sansthan, Bishal Bazaar Company, Gorkha Development Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank and Butwal Power Company.
　Meanwhile, the top losers were National Life Insurance Company, Annapurna Finance Company, Excel Development Bank, Bageshwori Development Bank and Sanima Bikas Bank. In terms of total turnover, Nepal Development & Employment Promotion Bank stood on top with Rs. 12.086 million, followed by Standard Chartered Bank, International Leasing and Finance Company, Everest Bank and Nepal Share Market.

●NEPSE loses 1.25 points to political uncertainty●
Posted on 2009-05-12
　KATHMANDU: After making gains for five consecutive days, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index tumbled on Monday amid the uncertainty about the new government.
　The NEPSE index, which measures consumers´ enthusiasm for the share market, lost 1.25 points over the previous close to end at 659.17 points on the second day of the week´s trading. Similarly, the Sensitive Index, which shows the performance of category ´A´ companies, also slipped 0.51 points to 173.84 points.
　Following a similar path, the Float Index, an indicator of ordinary share prices in the market, also went down by 0.2 points to 63.59 points. Analysts said the upheaval in NEPSE index over the last few days was created by the prevailing uncertain political developments in the country. They claimed that the share market will see further upheavals in the coming days, until the new government is formed.
　Among the groups, the Banking group and the Trading group lost 3.68 points and 3.94 points to sink to 657.15 points and 214.08 points, respectively. The Insurance group index also dipped by 3.42 points, to finish at 631.5 points. However, Development Bank and Finance rose by 2.24 points and 3.72 points to reach 775.98 and 749.75 points, respectively. Similarly, the Other group also gained 1.17 points, to get to 646.19 points.
　A total of 66,674 shares worth Rs 53.57 million were traded through 824 transactions during Monday´s trading, and the total market capitalization reached Rs 422.31 billion.
　During Sunday´s trading, a total of 48,267 shares worth Rs 32.87 million changed hands, through 719 transactions.

●NMB on thin ice over lost IPO forms●

Posted on 2009-05-12
　KATHMANDU: Investors of Sunrise Bank are smelling a rat in the share allotment process handling by issue manager NMB Bank Ltd after discovering that chanawallahs and chat sellers have been using submitted applications as paper cones for their eatables four days after the Initial Public Offering (IPO) closed. Sunrise Bank’s 37,50,000 unit shares worth Rs 375 million were floated from May 3 to 6 through NMB Bank.
　The Nepali vernacular eveninger, Naya Patrika, has carried a report news today on Sun Rise Bank share applications being found in debris. Earlier also, the bank was in the media glare for alleged irregularity in share allotment of Clean Energy Development bank.
　“It is negligence on part of NMB Bank,” said Santosh Pant, an investor, “It should make the situation public.” Worried investors were seen pacing up and down on the premises of NMB Bank at Babarmahal the whole day. A large number of investors visited NMB Bank offices to be clear in the matter. NMB Bank organized a press conference to clarify the issue.
　“It was a human error,” said Upendra Poudyal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NMB Bank. “We are investigating whether it was intentional or unwitting,” he said.
　According to Poudyal, 47 applications got lost from the bank. However, an inside source scoffed at his claim saying, “At least 160 application forms were lost.”
　CEO Poudyal assured investors that the lost applications were listed in data bank and that all these would be included in shares allocation. “We have soft copies, only the hard copies have been lost,” he clarified. “We apologise to the investors,” he said.
　Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) and Nepal Ratra Bank have visited NMB Bank and are investigating the issue. “We are investigating the case,” said Sebon director Neeraj Giri. A Sebon probe team visited NMB Ban’s central office this morning.
　Still, the investors are not assured. “We want details of the lost applications,” said investor Shiva Silwal, “I am afraid one of those forms is mine.” He urged NMB Bank to publish the list of lost applications.

●NEPSE continues upward drive●
Posted on 2009-05-11
　KATHMANDU: In a positive reaction from investors to ongoing political development following the fall of the Maoist-led government, Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index has continue to take upward drive.
　The NEPSE index, which is considered the indicator of investors´ confidence in share market, rose by 6.37 points to close at 660.42 points on Sunday; the first day of the week´s trading.
　Share analysts attributed the gain to a favorable investment environment in the country.
“Investors are hoping that investment friendly environment will prevail in coming days with the downfall of Maoist-led government which was non-tolerant to the development of capital market. So, confidence of investors is rising in the stock market,” said Rabindra Bhattarai, a share analyst. However, Bhattarai is skeptical about the continuation of this upward journey of NEPSE in the coming days if the formation of a new government is delayed.
　In group-wise indices, Banking group and Development Bank group rose 2.34 points and 0.3 points respectively. Similarly, indices of Hydropower group and Finance group went up by 5.31 points and 4.71 points. Others group became the top gainer with its index edging up 22.32 points. However, Insurance group, suffered negligible loss of 0.25 points.
　Similarly, sensitive index, trading indicator of Category ´A´ companies, moved to green territory with its index going up by 0.78 points to end at 174.35 points. Float index, indicator of share price of floated ordinary shares, also gained 0.32 points to touch 63.79 points. Total 48,267 shares worth Rs 32.87 million were changed hand through 719 transactions during Sunday´s trading.

●Key players・good showing sends Nepse graph up●

Posted on 2009-05-10
　KATHMANDU: Developing Credit Bank (with Rs 67.80 million), Standard Chartered Bank Nepal (with Rs 35.09 million), Nepal Bangaldesh Bank (with Rs 31.36 million), NCC Bank (with Rs 29.14 million) and Bank of Kathmandu (with Rs 13.57 million) were the top performers of this week.
　Development Credit Bank Ltd (DCBL) topped the chart in terms of share units traded and trading amount with 1,75,000-unit shares changing hands in Rs 67.80 million.
However, in terms of number of transactions Kuber Merchant Bittiya Sanstha topped the chart with 500 transactions.
　The key players’ good performances sent Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) up by 6.27 points to 654.05 points from last week’s closing of 647.78 points.
　This week, the surge in Nepse on Tuesday by 7.68 points to 648.57 points and continuous gain by Nepse after Tuesday — after the Maoist-led government resigned on Monday — proves that the domestic capital market is a game for few investors, it’s not the real mirror of the economy.
　Meanwhile, the 78-scrip sensitive index — considered blue chip shares in the domestic market — also gained 1.34 points to 173.58 points from last week’s closing of 172.24 points.
　Similarly, the float index — calculated on the basis of real transactions — also gained 0.26 point to 63.47 points from last week’s closing of 63.21 points.
　Though the contribution of the Class-A companies this week dropped to 33.77 per cent, the total transaction — of 89 companies shares — increased by 23.94 percent to Rs 293.19 million.
　Of the nine subgroups’ indices, two — hotels and trading subgroups — did not witness any change in their indices as their shares were not traded.
　Four subgroups — manufacturing, hydropower companies, insurance and development banks — lost this week 6.08 points to 432.13 points, 20.86 points to 822.77 points, 48.49 points to 773.44 points and 1,71 points to 635.17 points, respectively.
　But other three subgroups gained. The finance companies subgroup surged by 11 points to 743.75 points while commercial banks subgroup gained 8.93 points to 658.49 points and others subgroup gained 17.62 points to 622.70 points.
　The commercial banks subgroups’ transaction contributes to over 45 per cent of the total transactions making it the key player in the secondary market. If all other eight subgroups lose and commercial banks subgroup gains fairly, it can push the total Nepse up.
　Another gainer subgroup — finance companies — has over 26 per cent contribution to the total secondary market transaction. The commercial banks subgroups’ over 45 per cent and finance companies’ 26 per cent caused a Nepse surge.
　The week started in the red on Sunday as Nepse lost 5.74 points from last week’s closing of 647.78 points. Nepse shed 1.15 points on Monday.
　It rebounded on Tuesday by 7.68 points to 648.57 points. The secondary market witnessed a continuous gain from Tuesday till Thursday — the last day of trading — to close at 654.05 points. The sole secondary — that traded for five days this week — also added 7,96,704 bonus shares of Annapurna Finance and Siddhartha Finance.

●NEPSE maintains ascending trend●
　KATHMANDU The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) maintained its upward trend on Wednesday after recovering from a prolonged downward spiral on Tuesday.
　The NEPSE index was up 2.59 points when trading closed on Wednesday. The sensitive index also inched up by 0.1 point.
　There was a gain in the banking, development bank and hydropower sub-indexes, whereas the finance and insurance sub-indexes were down.
　Nepal Development and Employment Promotion Bank, KIST Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and ICFC Bittiya Sanstha were the top five companies in terms of number of shares traded.
　Likewise, Shikhar Bittiya Sanstha Limited, Global Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Everest Bank and Janaki Finance were the top five gainers on Wednesday.
　Among the top five losers were KIST Bank, Lalitpur Finance, Yeti Finance, Bank of Kathmandu and Lumbini Finance. Wednesday saw 52,560 shares of 54 companies changing hands. The total turnover amounted to Rs. 44.71 million.