Kathmandu, July 14 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index declined by 35.09 points on Monday, closing at 2,725.71, down 1.27 percent from the previous session.

The drop follows a brief gain of 29 points on Sunday, the first trading day after the release of the central bank's monetary policy.

According to NEPSE data, share prices of only 50 companies rose while 198 declined, indicating broad-based selling pressure.

The decline was led by losses in major subgroups, including banking, development banks, finance companies, microfinance, and mutual funds.

Monday's session recorded 72,601 transactions, with a total of 21.1 million shares changing hands.

The day's turnover stood at Rs8.17 billion, a significant drop of over Rs3.24 billio...