If You Had Invested $1,000 in the Nepali Share Market for 5 Years, This Is What You Would Have Made

Ever wanted to know whether your investment in Nepali stock market would have been fruitful or not? What would your investment amount of a mere Rs.1 Lakh (NRs One Hundred Thousand ~ around $1,000) five years ago be worth in today’s value?

What Warren Buffet was trying to convey through his above quote revolves around where and how an investor chooses to invest his hard-earned money. In the world of stock investing, we don’t need to be right all the time. We just need to be consistent with our plan and become patient with what we have executed. Even if there are losses in some of the stocks, the profits in others will surely offset those losses—which is exactly what this article will show in the context of Nepali stock market. This article will show what happens if we keep the stocks for just 5 years.

For this study, I chose top 20 companies that have been listed in Nepal Stock Exchange (NP: NEPSE). These 20 stocks have always been eye-candies in their respective sectors. I have also included some other stocks that have largest assets.

First of all, I assumed that the initial investment exactly 5 years ago (July 2013) was NRs. 1 Lakh (NRs 100,000) in each of these stocks. I calculated how many shares of the company I could buy at their prices at that time. Then, I calculated all the stock dividends (bonus shares), cash dividends and right shares those companies may have provided in this period. All the values were compounded and the final worth was calculated. I also deducted the further investment in right shares from today’s value. The result? You will be surprised!

Few of these companies had also floated their initial public issues (IPO) around similar time frames, which is why it was also easier to grab shares at almost their par value price.

Few assumptions were also made:

1. It has been assumed that the received cash dividends were not further invested.
2. 5% capital gains tax on both cash and stock dividends are not assumed. Since they are only on the par value, the final result is not offset by a big amount.
3. The shareholder subscribed to all the offered right shares issued during the 5-year period.
4. Cost of the right share applied has been deducted from the final value.

The clear winner was a general insurance company – Premier Insurance Company (Nepal) Ltd. If I had invested just NRs. One Hundred Thousand ($ 1,000) in Premier Insurance (NEPSE: PIC) back in July 2013, my investment would have grown to NRs. 3.72 million today (around $37,200)! That’s an annual compounded return of 106%, which means that my money would have grown by 106% every year in between July 2013 and July 2018.

The second position was bagged by a national level microfinance company called First Microfinance. It is a licensed financial institution that is regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank (the central bank of Nepal), and works in remote as well as urban areas of Nepal in uplifting financial condition of people by providing access to micro loans. First Microfinance (NEPSE: FMDBL) has also shown tremendous growth in its business in these years, and has been licensed by the regulator to also provide loans to smaller microfinance institutions. An investment of NRs 1 Lakh five years ago in FMDBL stock would have netted NRs 18.31 Lakh (NRs 1.83 million) today. Your return in FMDBL stock would have grown by almost 79% annually.

Another non-life insurance company, Shikhar Insurance (SICL), also came very close. Investment in Shikhar Insurance Company would have provided 66% annual return.

All five commercial banks of Nepal taken for this study were nowhere to be found in the top-half. Nabil Bank, Nepal Investment Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Everest Bank and Global IME Bank are the top 5 largest private banks in terms of their assets size, yet the returns on their stock investments were not at par.

This should also show that one should not fear from being separated from the crowd. Banks make up most of the market capitalization of Nepali stock market and they are safe for long term investment. However, what's safe and comfortable does not provide more return than something that is growing. Invest in sectors you believe is undervalued and which may rise in the future.

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The study clearly shows that those companies with tremendous growth potential are much more attractive and will provide better returns. This study should also be a motivation for beginner investors to enter in Nepali stock market. Share Market environment in Nepal is undergoing a bearish trend for the past 2 years, but this is when majority of the players will win – buying in low and selling at high when the market has picked up bullish momentum. Don’t wait for the bulls to arrive, and start investing in companies that have growth potentials.