Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index has increased by 17.05 points to settle at 319.95 points during five trading days from Sunday to Thursday, the last week of the fiscal year 2068/69 (2011/12).

The market had opened with 302.90 points on Sunday which continued to increase to 303.70 points on Monday, 306.02 points on Tuesday, 309.19 points on Wednesday and 319.95 points on Thursday.

Following the breakthrough in the peace process after the integration of Maoist combatants in Nepal Army, the NEPSE index surged by over 10 points on Thursday which is one of the remarkable increment in a single day last fiscal year.

Over the week, NEPSE traded with 115 companies registering the turnover of Rs. 129.8 million through 4190 transactions while it had traded with 125 companies registering the turnover of Rs. 137.6 million through 5275 transactions the previous week.

As per the sub-indices of all the groups, except hotel posting negative growth of 1.13 points, all the groups posted positive growth - commercial bank (24.16 points), other (11.75 points), hydropower (28.43 points), insurance (11.55 points), finance (0.94 points) and  development bank (4.39 points).

NEPSE index has also plunged below 300 points last month in March.

Meanwhile, stock investors have also claimed that the index has been hovering around 300 points while it was at 1175 points while the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai was serving as the country's Finance Minister. nepalnews.com