Stocks stay flat for 3 weeks

The index closed 2.83 points higher after dropping 11.33 points in the previous session.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange decreased by 24% to VND13.53 trillion (US$532 million).

The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 14 tickers gained.

BCM of Becamex Investment and Industrial Development led with a 1.8% rise, followed by VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk, up 1.7%.

MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World gained 1.3% and SSB of SeABank closed 1.2% higher.

Twelve blue chips closed in the red, with BVH of insurance company Bao Viet Holdings recording the biggest loss at 2.3%.

POW of electricity producer Petrovietnam Power Corporation dropped 1.6% and PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex fell 1%.

Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of VND30 billion, mainly buying VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk and VIX of VIX Securities Jsc.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.21%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went up 0.72%.

Asian shares hit a fresh three-month low on Friday as investors awaited key U.S. inflation data that could either ease or worsen concerns about stubbornly high price pressures, while the dollar towered at two-year peaks, Reuters reported.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.6% on Friday to a fresh three-month low and was headed for a weekly drop of 3%.

Japan's Nikkei was flat but down 1.7% for the week. It was up a whopping 16% for the year, in part due to the weakness in the yen, which has depreciated 12% in 2024 and drew constant intervention warnings from Japanese authorities.