Kathmandu: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) witnessed a sharp decline today, with the index dropping by 27.39 points (-1.01%) to close at 2,663.32. Investors traded a total of Rs 4.59 billion, involving 10.33 million shares. This marked a significant downturn, reflecting broad-based weakness across various sectors.

Among the sectoral indices, the Finance Index took the biggest hit, plunging 2.76%, followed by the Hotels and Tourism Index, which fell by 1.93%. Other sectors, including Development Banks, Life Insurance, and Manufacturing, also faced notable declines, showing widespread sell-offs throughout the market. The losses extended across 207 stocks, indicating a bearish sentiment.

On the list of Top Losers, EHPL saw the steepest drop, falling by 76.30 points (-8.50%) to close at Rs 821.00. Similarly, BNHC and NFS fell by 7.24% and 6.98% respectively. Other notable losers included BNT and KDL, which faced declines of over 5% each.

In terms of turnover, NLG led the market with a transaction value of Rs 271.76 million, followed by NFS and HRL, which recorded turnovers of Rs 239.71 million and Rs 137.67 million, respectively. Despite the high turnover, the market remains under pressure, with investors awaiting signs of a potential recovery amid the ongoing declines in key sectors.