August 17: After three days’ consecutive fall, the Nepal Stock Exchange(NEPSE) Index gained 8.01 points or 0.39% and closed at 2033.13 points on the last trading day of the week, Thursday.

In the past two days,  the secondary benchmark index was affected by the information that banks and financial institutions were preparing to increase bank interest rates for the next month of mid-August to mid-September(Bhadra).

Some banks have hiked the bank interest rates, while few have reduced the interest rates. Others have kept the rates stable.

Experts and seasoned share investors say that traders, who have booked their profits, are in wait and watch mode. They say that investing money in the stock right at present will give profits in short time as dividend season is fast-approaching.

A total of 271 scrips exchanged their hands through 43,591 transactions. As many as 4,009,263 shares were traded. Amounting to Rs 1.54 billion.

Soaltee Hotel Limited (SHL) recorded the highest turnover of Rs. 13.71 crores and closed at a market price of Rs. 463.

Similarly, Siddhartha Investment Growth Scheme - 2 (SIGS2) gained the highest 10% and hit the positive circuit for the day.

Meanwhile, Laxmi Equity Fund (LEMF) lost the highest 7.43% today. Only Mutual Fund Index closed in the red while the remaining closed in the green zone. 

Trading Index gained the most with a 2.53 percent positive change while the Others Index gained the least 0.01%.

 Sensitive Index increased by 0.28%, while Float Index and Sensitive Float Index went up by 0.37% and 0.42% respectively.