The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) witnessed a sharp fall on Sunday, the first trading day of the week, continuing its recent downward trend. The benchmark index dropped by 78.83 points, or 3.05 percent, to close at 2,503.35 points.

On Thursday, the index had risen by nearly 22 points to close at 2,582 points, but Sunday’s session erased those gains as widespread selling pressure gripped the market.

Out of the traded companies, only nine saw their share prices increase, while 142 recorded declines, dragging the overall market down.

A total of 14.36 million shares were traded through 67,202 transactions, with a total turnover of Rs6.70 billion—up from Rs5.27 billion recorded on Thursday.

All 13 trading sub-indices declined during the session, indicating a broad-based sell-off across sectors including banking, hydropower, insurance, and microfinance.

Analysts attributed the fall to investor uncertainty and profit-booking, as the market struggles to maintain stability after short-lived gains earlier in the week.