Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index slipped 8.24 points to close at 2,622.89 points on Monday, snapping a two-day winning streak as investors booked profits.
Although the benchmark briefly touched an intra-day high of 2,650.61 points within the first hour of trading, optimism faded through the session, and the index eventually closed 0.31% lower. Analysts have described the retreat as a minor correction following two days of steady advances.
This was the second loss on the bourse over the past seven sessions.
Market turnover also declined to Rs 6.05 billion, with 12.18 million units traded through 54,892 transactions.
Of the traded scrips, 172 declined, 72 advanced, and five remained unchanged. Shivam Cement led the turnover chart with Rs 376.82 million worth of shares traded. NRN Infrastructure & Development and Radhi Bidyut Company Ltd were next with turnovers of Rs 339.49 million and Rs 246.19 million, respectively.
Sector-wise, seven trading groups closed in the red, while six ended higher. The Life Insurance sub-index registered the sharpest drop of 1.05%, whereas the Trading sub-index emerged as the top gainer with a 0.93% rise.
