August 24: After experiencing two consecutive days of gains, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a decline on Thursday, the final trading day of the week.

The index, which had risen by 47 points in the preceding two trading days, experienced a loss of 31.52 points or 1.54%, closing at 2013.93 points.

Market experts and analysts have attributed this downturn to the prevalence of short-term traders who tend to sell their stocks as soon as they secure a small profit, leading to a downward pressure on the market.

During the day's trading session, a total of 275 different stocks were traded, resulting in a cumulative volume of 4,657,137 shares exchanged through 40,800 transactions.

The total value of the shares traded amounted to Rs 1.55 billion.

Soaltee Hotel Limited (SHL) emerged as the leader in turnover, with a substantial trading value of Rs. 7.87 crores and a closing market price of Rs. 455.10.

Conversely, Molung Hydropower Company Limited (MHCL) experienced the highest decline of the day, losing 8.54%.

Meanwhile, Kutheli Bukhari Small Hydropower Limited (KBSH), which gained an impressive 9.99% and technically hit the positive circuit for the day.

Across the board, all sub-indices ended the day in the negative territory, with the Finance Index suffering the most significant decline at 2.92%.