Stocks close in red as global shares head for weekly loss

The index closed 4.69 points lower after dropping 13.49 points in the previous session.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange decreased by 14% to VND13.784 trillion (US$543.2 million).

The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 19 tickers fell.

GVR of Vietnam Rubber Group saw the biggest fall of 2%, followed by MSN of conglomerate Masan Group with a 1.66% drop and POW of electricity producer Petrovietnam Power Corporation, down 1.65%

Four blue chips gained, including VPB of private lender VPBank with a 0.5% increase and MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World, up 0.2%.

STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank rose 0.2% and VCB of state-owned lender Vietcombank closed 0.1% higher.

Foreign investors were net seller to the tune of VND413 billion, mainly selling MSN and DGC of Duc Giang Chemicals Group.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.03%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went down 0.27%.

Global stocks were set to end the week lower as looming U.S data and Japan's weekend election curbed a rally already knocked off course by the close-run race for the White House and expectations the Federal Reserve will resist rapid rate cuts, Reuters reported.

MSCI's broad world equity index was steady on Friday but heading for a 1.2% slide on the week, its first weekly loss of the month, while European shares also started the day 0.2% lower.

Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.7% on Friday and the yen was steady at 151.87 per dollar after Japanese officials warned speculators off betting against the currency, which has weakened rapidly from around 141 in mid-September.

Elsewhere in Asia Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5% and mainland Chinese shares added 0.7%