Kathmadnu, Feb. 17 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index fell by 20.75 points (0.77 percent) on Tuesday, closing at 2,642.15. The market remained under pressure throughout the trading session, with a majority of listed companies ending in the red.

Total turnover stood at Rs8.36 billion, with 20.55 million shares traded during the day. Of the traded stocks, 214 declined, 42 advanced, and six remained unchanged, reflecting broad-based selling across sectors.

Most sub-indices posted losses. The Finance Index recorded the sharpest drop, falling 2.11 percent to 2,418.23. The Hydropower Index declined 1.63 percent to 3,498.17, while the Hotels and Tourism Index slipped 1.19 percent to 7,159.34.

The Development Bank sub-index dropped 1.18...