Nepal, Aug. 31 -- The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) fell sharply on Monday, the first trading day of the week, with the market index dropping 43.89 points to close at 2,513.42 points.Download Interactive Maps

Market turnover also declined slightly to Rs 3.64 billion from Rs 3.78 billion in the previous session. The market remained in negative territory throughout the trading day. Of the 278 companies traded, prices of 21 companies increased, 253 declined, and four remained unchanged.

The three sectors most affected by last Wednesday's severe floods continued to face heavy selling pressure. The non-life insurance sector recorded the steepest decline, falling 5.03 percent, followed by the other sector at 3.30 percent and hydropower at 2.9...