The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index continued its upward momentum for the fifth consecutive trading day on Thursday, advancing by 10.43 points to close at 2,676.

The benchmark has now gained 116 points in a week, rising from 2,560 last Thursday as renewed investor confidence lifted market sentiment.

Turnover, however, dipped slightly, falling from Wednesday’s Rs6.69 billion to Rs6.66 billion. During the session, share prices of 131 listed companies increased, 121 declined and six remained unchanged.

The banking subgroup led Thursday’s gains, climbing 1.47 percent—its strongest performance of the week—as investors shifted focus to larger, more liquid stocks.

Four companies hit the 10 percent positive circuit: Sagar Distillery, Swastik Microfinance, Jhapa Energy and Srinagar Agritech.