The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index closed in the red on Tuesday, weighed down by broad-based losses across key sectors, including banking, development banks, and investment companies.

The Nepse declined by 9.96 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 2,688.32. The Sensitive Index slipped by 3.91 points or 0.85 percent to settle at 451.89. The Float Index fell by 0.47 percent, while the Sensitive Float Index dropped 0.84 percent.

Market turnover stood at Rs8.32 billion, with a total of 22,555,713 shares traded during the session. Out of the traded stocks, 86 advanced, 160 declined, and one remained unchanged, indicating a largely negative market breadth.

Among the sectoral indices, the Investment Index was the worst performer of the day, falling by 1.87 percent to 115.17. The Trading Index followed with a drop of 1.65 percent, while Development Banks retreated 1.61 percent to 5,565.47. The Banking Sub-Index, which holds significant weight in the Nepse, also declined by 0.73 percent to 1,351.17, further pressuring the benchmark.

Other losing sectors included Hydropower, which fell by 0.67 percent, Life Insurance down 0.24 percent, and Mutual Funds by 0.40 percent. Non-life Insurance slipped by 0.41 percent, and Microfinance dipped by 0.33 percent.

However, not all sectors followed the downward trend. The Manufacturing and Processing Index climbed 1.18 percent to 7,217.42, making it one of the top-performing sub-indices of the day. The Hotels and Tourism Index rose by 0.79 percent. The ‘Others’ category also posted a solid gain of 2.21 percent.

On the individual stock front, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Ltd (NMIC) was the top gainer, hitting the daily limit with a 10 percent rise to Rs783.40. Crest Micro Life Insurance Limited (CREST)) surged 9.98 percent to Rs647.70, while Makar Jitumaya Suri Hydropower Limited (MAKAR) rose 7.47 percent to Rs783.79. Green Life Hydropower Ltd (GLH) and Nepal Reinsurance Company Ltd (NRIC) also posted strong gains, advancing 5.30 percent and 4.83 percent, respectively.

On the losing side, Corporate Development Bank Ltd (CORBL) was the biggest decliner, falling by the daily circuit limit of 10 percent to Rs2,471.90. NIC Asia Balanced Fund (NICBF) fell by 5.18 percent, followed by Ngadi Group Power Ltd. (NGPL), Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Ltd (HIDCL), and Union Hydropower Ltd (UNHPL), which declined by 3.88 percent, 3.79 percent, and 3.78 percent, respectively.