The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) fell by 9.22 points on Thursday, closing at 2,757.97.

The benchmark index dropped by 0.33 percent compared to the previous day, as the number of losing companies far outstripped gainers.

According to the stock exchange, the share prices of 197 companies declined, while only 53 advanced. The imbalance pushed the overall market down by nearly double digits.

A total of 16.85 million shares were traded through 56,824 transactions, amounting to Rs5.02 billion. The turnover was lower than on Wednesday, when shares worth Rs5.20 billion had changed hands.

Out of the 13 sectoral sub-indices, all but non-life insurance posted losses. The non-life insurance group inched up by 0.14 percent, offering the only bright spot in an otherwise bearish session.