Kathmandu, July 2 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index surged by 34.42 points on Wednesday to close at 2,694.82, marking a 1.29 percent rise from the previous session.

Investor sentiment remained robust, with total turnover reaching an impressive Rs9.74 billion. A total of 30,182,341 shares of 317 companies changed hands through 89,468 transactions.

All sectoral sub-indices ended the day in positive territory. The life insurance group led the rally with a gain of 2.83 percent, followed by non-life insurance at 2.51 percent and development banks at 2.31 percent.

Other notable gainers included the banking sector, which rose by 1.36 percent, finance by 1.99 percent, hotels and tourism by 0.71 percent, and hydropower by 0.47 percent. ...