Submit your Article

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 5. 28 points to close at 2, 790. 95 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 19 points to close at 480. 19 points.

A total of 15,847,873-unit shares of 321 companies were traded for Rs 6. 16 billion.

Meanwhile, Maya Khola Hydropower Company Limited (MKHC) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 5. 74 percent. Likewise, 10.25% KBL Debenture 2086 (KBLD86) was the top loser with its price dropped by 9. 48 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 57 trillion.

A total of 365 metric tons of dried ginger and turmeric produced in the districts of the Karnali Province in the last fiscal year found its way to Europe, according to the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives in the Karnali Province.

Ministry's Agricultural Development Officer Purna Bahadur Thapa shared that the locally grown high quality ginger and turmeric are processed and authenticated as per the international standards and are exported to various countries including Germany in Europe.

Ginger is being produced in Salyan, Rukum (Paschim) and eastern side of Surkhet while turmeric is being grown at Chinchu area in Surkhet district.

The Organic Valley collects these local products from farmers and is exporting abroad, added Thapa.

Apart from ginger and turmeric, the company is engaged in export business of other organic goods such as corn flour, lentils, bean, and nettle leaf powder among others.

The Ministry stated that of the over Rs 18.47 billion allocated by the provincial government for the agriculture sector since the formation of the province, over Rs 14 billion has been invested so far.

Data released last week by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows an 11.8 percent increase in the number of business class and premium passengers in global air travel.

The latest edition of the World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), based on data from more than 240 international airlines, reports that economy class passengers grew by 11.5 percent. Business and premium class travelers totaled about 116m—around six percent of all international passengers.

The report also provides insights into operating costs and revenues, aircraft utilization, airline employment figures, and the overall financial health of the industry. According to IATA, total international passenger numbers reached about 2bn.

The Asia-Pacific region led the growth in international travel, with total passenger numbers up 28.3 percent. Business class passengers in the region increased by 22.8 percent, while economy class grew by 28.6 percent. In contrast, North America recorded the lowest international passenger growth rate—5.9 percent overall, with 9.4 percent growth in business class and 5.6 percent in economy.

In 2024, the world’s busiest air route was Jeju–Seoul in the Asia-Pacific region, with 13.2m passengers. The region dominated the list of the world’s 10 busiest routes, which also included Sapporo–Tokyo Haneda with 9.2m passengers, Fukuoka–Tokyo Haneda with 9m, and Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City with 8m. Other high-traffic routes were Melbourne Tullamarine–Sydney (7.2m), Jeddah–Riyadh (6.3m), Mumbai–Delhi (5.9m), Tokyo Haneda–Okinawa (5.6m), Shanghai Hongqiao–Shenzhen (5.3m), and Beijing Capital–Shanghai Hongqiao (5.3m).

Bogotá–Medellín was the busiest route in Latin America with 3.8m passengers, while Cape Town–Johannesburg topped Africa with 3.3m. In North America, New York JFK–Los Angeles was the busiest route with 2.2m passengers, and within Europe, Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca led with 2m.

Boeing and Airbus narrowbody aircraft were the most widely used in 2024. The Boeing 737 (all variants) operated 10m flights with 2.4trn available seat kilometers (ASKs). It was followed by the Airbus A320 with 7.9m flights and 1.7trn ASKs, and the Airbus A321 with 3.4m flights and 1.1trn ASKs.

The United States remained the world’s largest aviation market in 2024, with 876m passengers. Domestic flights grew by 5.2 percent compared to the previous year. China ranked second with 741m passengers, an 18.7 percent increase from 2023.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 196, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 196, 800 per tola on Tuesday.

The price of silver, however, increased by Rs 20 and is being traded at Rs 2, 325 per tola.