Kathmandu, Feb. 26 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index rose by 6.03 points on Thursday, the final trading day of the week, closing at 2,654.93.

The benchmark had closed at 2,648.90 on Wednesday after gaining by double digits. With Thursday's increase, the index extended its upward movement, albeit at a slower pace.

Market breadth was mixed, with share prices of 137 companies advancing, while 118 declined and seven remained unchanged.

A total of 10,153,145 shares were traded through 44,204 transactions during the day. The total turnover stood at Rs4.17 billion.

Turnover declined compared to the previous trading session of Wednesday, when shares worth Rs4.45 billion were traded.

Of the 13 sub-indices in operation, hotels and tour...