The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by 79.88 points, or 2.68%, on the first trading day of the week, to close at 2,894.57 points.

The session witnessed the trade of 333 scrips in 218,578 transactions.

Over 42 million shares were traded on Sunday, leading to a turnover exceeding Rs 19 billion.

Stock analysts say that the market declined due to the cautious approach of investors, who rushed to book profit following a nearly 1000-point surge in NEPSE index in one-and-a-half month, and have decided to observe the market movement for their next move.

The Sensitive Index fell by 2.72%, while the Sensitive Float Index and the Float Index each dropped by 2.69%.

The total market capitalization stood at Rs 4.59 trillion at the end of the trading session.

Out of 244 companies whose shares were traded on Sunday, only 60 saw their prices rise.

Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (WNLB), Upakar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ULBSL), and Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB) were the top gainers of the day, with their share prices rising by 10.00%.

On the contrary, Mandakini Hydropower experienced the largest decline, with its price falling by 9.9%.

API Power Company Ltd (API) led in the turnover with Rs 846.82 million from 7,514 transactions.