NEPSE Falls Sharply by Nearly 48 Points, Insurance Sector Suffers Broad Losses

Kathmandu — The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) witnessed a sharp decline on Wednesday, the fourth trading day of the week, as the benchmark index dropped by 47.93 points to settle at 2,954.14 points. The decline marked one of the week’s heaviest losses and was primarily driven by a widespread fall in insurance stocks.

Both life and non-life insurance groups closed the day in negative territory. The life insurance index slipped by 1.76 percent, while the non-life insurance index fell by 1.54 percent. Despite the overall downturn, two reinsurance companies stood out as exceptions, recording gains. Himalayan Reinsurance Company saw its share price rise by 2.66 percent to Rs 1,087.35, and Nepal Reinsurance Company gained 1.69 percent to reach Rs 1,628.79.

The majority of life insurance companies saw their stock prices tumble. Himalayan Life Insurance suffered the most, with a decline of 2.63 percent. Reliance Nepal Life and Prabhu Mahalaxmi Life both fell by 2.43 percent, followed by Crest Micro Life which dropped 2.12 percent. Sanima Reliance Life declined by 2.05 percent, and Citizen Life was down by 2.02 percent. Other notable losers in the life insurance segment included LIC Nepal, IME Life, Suryajyoti Life, Guardian Micro Life, Sun Nepal Life, Asian Life, Nepal Life, and National Life, each recording losses ranging from 0.71 to 1.97 percent.

The non-life insurance segment also endured a difficult session, with NLG Insurance leading the losses. Its share price dropped by 2.83 percent to close at Rs 880.42. Himalayan Everest Insurance followed closely with a 2.62 percent decline, and IGI Prudential saw its stock fall by 2.43 percent. Sanima GIC lost 2.14 percent, while United Ajod Insurance fell by 2.40 percent. Other companies like Shikhar Insurance, Nepal Micro Insurance, Siddhartha Premier Insurance, Prabhu Insurance, Salico Insurance, Nepal Insurance, RBCL, and Neco Insurance all ended the day in the red.