Investors keep track of stock movements (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Shares lost ground in last-minute trading on December 19 onthe HCM Stock Exchange, driven by a slump of large-cap stocks.
TheVN-Index inched down 0.12 percent to close at 674.33 points, after touchingnearly 680 points in early morning trade and gaining 1.8 percent last week.
Onthe Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index edged up 0.3 percent to end at 79.94points. It gained 0.1 percent last week.
Theoverall market condition was positive, with 247 shares rising, 155 decliningand 293 staying unchanged.
Liquiditywaned as a total of 172 million shares worth 2.75 trillion VND (121 million USD)were traded in the two markets, down 18.3 percent in volume and 26.3 percent invalue compared to Friday.
Declinesof several large-cap stocks weighed on the VN-Index.
Brewerygiant Sabeco (SAB) declined for the first time since its debut on December 6.Its shares lost 5.8 percent to settle at 212,000 VND per share. SAB shares roserapidly from a debut price of 110,000 VND a share to 225,000 VND on December 16.They slipped because of profit-taking selling, with the trading volume risingnearly 37 percent over the last 10-day average to 168,200 shares.
Amonglosers, the biggest listed Vinamilk (VNM) decreased 0.8 percent; private equityMasan Group (MSN) fell 2.3 percent and steelmaker Hoa Phat Group (HPG) was down0.7 percent. All are among the top 10 largest companies by marketcapitalisation and liquidity on the HCM Stock Exchange.
Themarket breadth was relatively positive as demand for shares was good, even at highprice ranges that showed solid investor confidence, Tran Duc Anh, a stockanalyst at Bao Viet Securities Co, wrote in the December 19 report.
“Investors’concerns about the Fed’s hiking of interest rates or portfolio rearrangement ofexchange-traded funds have passed, but the market will likely experienceseveral correction sessions before founding a new price range,” Anh said.
Foreigninvestors continued to offload local shares but the net sell value was modestat just 9.3 billion VND in the two markets.-VNA
VNA
