Kathmandu, June 13 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) extended its decline during the trading week of June 8-12, as persistent selling pressure and weakening investor participation pushed the benchmark index lower and erased Rs50 billion in market value.

The benchmark Nepse index fell 31.38 points, or 1.14 percent, to close at 2,724.03 points, down from 2,755.41 points a week earlier.

Blue-chip stocks also came under pressure. The Sensitive Index, which tracks the performance of Class A companies, dropped 4.90 points, or 1.04 percent, to 467.09 points. The Float Index declined 1.98 points, or 1.05 percent, to 185.89 points.

The downturn significantly reduced investor wealth. Total market capitalisation fell from Rs4.70 trillion to Rs4...