The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index closed higher on Wednesday, posting modest gains in a mixed trading session. The benchmark index added 5.7 points, or 0.21 percent, to settle at 2,625.70 at the close of trading at 3pm.

Sectoral sub-indices mostly ended positively. The finance sub-index led the market with a gain of 1.75 percent, followed by the development bank, which rose 0.71 percent. Life insurance advanced 0.66 percent, while the banking sub-index climbed 0.31 percent. Hydropower, manufacturing and processing, microfinance, mutual funds and investment indices also closed higher, though gains in some sectors were marginal.

However, a few sectors saw declines. Hotels and tourism fell 0.37 percent, non-life insurance slipped 0.36 percent and the trading index dropped 0.27 percent, reflecting selective profit-taking by investors.

Total turnover stood at Rs4.05 billion, with 8.59 million shares traded during the session. Of the traded stocks, 143 advanced, 104 declined, and 11 remained unchanged, indicating a slightly positive market breadth.