Kathmandu, April 20 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index fell by 16.21 points on Sunday to close at 2,706.51, registering a decline of 0.59 percent compared to the previous trading day.

A total of 21,323,967 shares were traded across 296 scrips, amounting to a total turnover of Rs8.43 billion.

Among the sub-indices, the hotels and tourism index recorded the steepest loss, dropping 86.06 points (1.30 percent). The finance index shed 30.78 points (1.19 percent), while the hydropower index declined by 39 points (1.09 percent). Development banks also saw a significant drop, with the index falling 60.37 points (1.06 percent).

Other notable losers included the banking index (-0.77%), life insurance (-0.78%), and microfinance (-0.44%). T...