KATHMANDU: The downward journey of the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) shows no signs of stopping, with the benchmark index dropping by 8.50 points (0.31%) on Thursday to close at 2,651.52 points after experiencing fluctuations throughout the day.

This marks a consecutive streak of losses this week, following a 14.45-point drop on Wednesday, a 26.16-point decline on Tuesday, and a 1.46-point slip on Monday.

Other major indices followed suit as the Sensitive Index fell by 0.64 points (0.13%) to 458.23 points, while the Float and Sensitive Float indices dipped by 0.22% and 0.15% respectively.

Market liquidity also shrunk significantly compared to earlier in the week; a total of 6,480,599 shares of 338 companies were traded 46,751 times, generating a daily turnover of Rs 2,83,82,79,411—a sharp decline from Wednesday’s Rs 4.41 billion, Tuesday’s Rs 4.36 billion, and Monday’s Rs 4.44 billion.

The market breadth remained heavily bearish as the share prices of 172 companies declined and 19 remained unchanged, leaving only 83 companies in the green.

Out of the 13 traded sectors, Manufacturing & Processing was the lone survivor, gaining a minor 0.14%, whereas the remaining 12 sectors suffered losses.

The Trading sector took the hardest hit, plunging by 1.96%, followed by Hotels & Tourism (-0.53%), Others (-0.47%), Hydro Power (-0.41%), Non-Life Insurance (-0.40%), Finance (-0.36%), Life Insurance (-0.22%), Commercial Banks (-0.19%), Investment (-0.16%), and identical 0.15% drops for both Development Banks and Microfinance, alongside a 0.14% slip in Mutual Funds.

Among individual stocks, investors of Taksar Pikhukhola Hydropower Company Limited and Yambaling Hydropower Limited celebrated maximum gains of 14.99%, while Bhujung Hydropower Limited became the top loser, shedding 11.03% of its share value.

Sopan Pharmaceuticals Limited led the market in terms of financial turnover with Rs 12,77,25,427, and Ankhu Khola Hydropower Company Limited topped the volume charts with 281,319 shares traded, closing at a final price of Rs 366 per share.