Stocks tumble to 7-day low

The index closed 1.51 points lower after dropping 3.21 points in the previous session.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange decreased by 12% to VND13.48 trillion (US$531 million).

The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 15 tickers fell.

PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex dropped 1.3%, followed by VIC of private conglomerate Vingroup with a 1% decline.

HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group and SHB of Saigon Hanoi Commercial Bank both fell 0.9%.

Eleven blue chips gained. BVH of insurance company Bao Viet Holdings and HDB of HDBank both closed 1.3% higher.

Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND286 billion, mainly selling FPT of IT giant FPT Corporation and MSN of conglomerate Masan Group.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.08%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went down 0.07%.

Asian stocks gained on Thursday, tracking Wall Street's tech-led rally overnight after an as-expected reading of U.S. consumer inflation cemented bets for a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut next week, Reuters reported.

Japan's Nikkei topped 40,000 for the first time since mid-October, led by advances in chip-sector shares.

The exporter-heavy index also got a boost from a weakening yen, as traders pared bets for a Bank of Japan rate hike next week.