Most investors check NEPSE's closing price and move on. Few dig into the floorsheet — the full, transaction-by-transaction record of every single trade that happened that day, including exactly which broker bought and which broker sold. It's one of the most transparent tools available to any retail investor globally, and most Nepali investors never look at it. Here's how to actually read it.
What Is a Floorsheet?
A floorsheet is the complete, official record of every single trade executed on NEPSE during a trading session, published daily after market close. Unlike the closing price alone, which just tells you where a stock ended up, the floorsheet tells you the full story: every individual transaction, its exact price, quantity, and — uniquely — which broker was on the buy side and which was on the sell side. This level of transparency, showing broker identities on every trade, is relatively rare among global stock exchanges.
Where to Find the Floorsheet
- NEPSE's official website: Publishes the daily floorsheet directly, typically downloadable.
- Merolagani and Sharesansar: Both offer searchable, filterable floorsheet views by date, buyer, or seller broker, making it far easier to navigate than a raw export.
- Analytics platforms: Tools like NepseAlpha and Lagani Lab go further, offering pre-built broker accumulation/distribution dashboards so you don't have to manually calculate net positions yourself.
The Key Columns Explained
- Contract Number: A unique identifier for that specific trade — mostly useful for reference, not analysis.
- Symbol: The stock ticker for the company traded.
- Buyer Broker / Seller Broker: The unique broker code representing who executed each side of the trade. This is the most analytically useful column.
- Quantity: Number of shares transacted in that specific trade.
- Rate: The exact price per share for that transaction — note this can differ from the day's average or closing price, since it reflects the actual price at that specific moment.
- Amount: Quantity × Rate — the total value of that individual trade.
Why Broker Codes Matter So Much
Not all brokers behave the same way. Some brokers are known conduits for larger institutional or high-net-worth activity, typically visible through larger lot sizes (1,000+ shares) and consistent directional patterns, while others primarily serve smaller retail clients trading in lots of 10–100 shares. Tracking which brokers are consistently on the buy side or sell side of a specific stock over several consecutive days can reveal whether "smart money" is quietly building or reducing a position — well before that shows up as a dramatic price move.
How to Spot Accumulation or Distribution
- Accumulation signal: The same broker (or small group of brokers) repeatedly appears as the net buyer in a stock across multiple consecutive sessions, often while the price stays relatively flat or only rises modestly — suggesting a position is being built quietly.
- Distribution signal: The same broker repeatedly appears as the net seller across several days, sometimes even during a price rally — suggesting an existing large holder is exiting into retail buying enthusiasm.
- Confirmation, not certainty: A single day's pattern proves very little. Analysts generally recommend tracking broker net positions over at least 5–7 consecutive trading days before drawing conclusions.
A Simple Practical Example
Suppose you're tracking a hydropower stock trading around 1.2 million shares daily, and over seven consecutive sessions, you notice three specific brokers have been net buyers, collectively accumulating over 500,000 shares while the price has stayed relatively stable. This is a meaningful accumulation signal worth investigating further — though it should be combined with a look at the company's actual fundamentals before deciding it's a buying opportunity, not a red flag.
Red Flags to Watch For
- Extreme single-broker concentration: If one broker accounts for a very high share (say, 70%+) of buying or selling in a stock on a given day, this can indicate either high conviction from one large player or — potentially — coordinated manipulation.
- Same broker on both buyer and seller side: This pattern, sometimes called circular trading, can be a signal of artificial volume creation rather than genuine market interest.
- Sudden volume spikes with no corresponding news: Worth investigating before assuming it reflects a genuine fundamental shift.
Common Mistakes When Using Floorsheet Data
- Chasing turnover alone: High trading value doesn't automatically mean a good investment — it may simply reflect short-term hype or speculation.
- Ignoring fundamentals entirely: Floorsheet data shows trading activity, not a company's actual earnings or financial health — pair it with the fundamentals covered in our guide: How to Read a Company's Financial Report Before Investing.
- Drawing conclusions from a single day: One day's broker activity is noise; patterns across a week or more carry far more weight.
- Treating it as a substitute for a broader view: Floorsheet data works best alongside sector index trends and overall market context — see: Understanding the NEPSE Index and Sector Sub-Indices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is the floorsheet updated in real-time during trading hours?
The comprehensive floorsheet is typically published after market close for the full day's activity, though some platforms offer live or near-live floorsheet views during active trading hours.
Can I identify a specific investor from the floorsheet?
No — the floorsheet identifies only the broker who executed the trade, not the individual client behind it, since broker-client relationships remain confidential.
Do I need special software to analyze floorsheet data?
Not necessarily — basic analysis can be done by exporting data into a spreadsheet, though dedicated platforms with pre-built broker accumulation dashboards can save significant manual effort if you plan to do this regularly.
Conclusion
The NEPSE floorsheet is a genuinely rare level of market transparency — most global exchanges don't disclose broker identity on every trade. Learning to track broker concentration and net positions over several days can give you real insight into accumulation and distribution patterns well before they show up in price alone. Just remember: it's a tool to combine with fundamental analysis, not a replacement for it.
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