The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index ended lower on Wednesday, dropping by 7.94 points to close at 2,669.51—a fall of 0.29 percent compared to the previous day.

The market opened with strong momentum, and the benchmark index seemed to be inching toward a three-digit gain in the early minutes of trading, building on the optimism from Tuesday’s 49-point rise. At one point, NEPSE had surged by up to 94 points from yesterday’s mark. However, the rally quickly lost steam, as selling pressure pulled the index into negative territory by the end of the session.

Despite the decline in the index, investor activity remained high. A total of 88,121 transactions were carried out, involving more than 23 million shares. Daily turnover rose sharply to Rs10.69 billion, compared to Rs7.31 billion the previous day.

Of the 247 traded companies, 153 saw their share prices fall, 93 advanced, and one remained unchanged.

Out of the 13 sectoral indices, only banking, development banking, and mutual funds recorded gains. The remaining sectors, including hydropower, finance, insurance, and manufacturing, ended in the red.