KATHMANDU: As nomination filing for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 gets underway across the country, the stock market on Tuesday signaled investor optimism over a smooth election and prospects of political stability.

The benchmark index gained 42.26 points to close at 2,714.81 points, marking a rise of 1.58 percent. All sub-indices ended the session in positive territory.

Hotel and tourism stocks posted the highest gains, with the sub-index surging by 3.36 percent.

A total of 339 securities were traded through 115,181 transactions. In all, 25,185,647 shares changed hands during the session.

Turnover remained strong, with total trading volume exceeding Rs 11.85 billion, reflecting renewed confidence among investors.