VN-Index hits two-week high

The index fluctuated around the 1,180 mark in the morning before rising in the last hour of trading to end with a 6-point gain. It has closed in the 1,180 range in four out of the last five sessions.

Foreign investors were net sellers on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, for the 18th session with net selling value quadrupling to VND1.01 trillion ($43,500), the highest of the past six sessions.

Selling pressure was strongest on CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank, VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk and POW of electricity distributor Petrovietnam Power Corporation.

Trading value on the HoSE rose 3.4 percent to VND15.8 trillion. The bourse saw 257 stocks gain and 190 lose.

Green dominated the VN30 basket, which comprises the 30 largest capped stocks, with CTG the top gainer, up 4.9 percent to a new all-time high.

Several other banks also gained with STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank rising 3.7 percent, HDB of HDBank up 2.6 percent, and BID of state-owned lender BIDV up 2.1 percent.

Two energy companies ended in the green, with GAS of state-owned Petrovietnam Gas up 2.8 percent and POW up 2.6 percent.

On the losing side, SBT of sugar producer Thanh Thanh Cong – Bien Hoa and VJC of budget airline Vietjet both dropped 0.8 percent.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.24 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market added 0.96 percent.