Shares on the HCM Stock Exchange moved back into positive territory on Oct. 13, with the VN-Index closing up by 0.4 percent to 412.59 points.

Advancers outnumbered decliners by 133-80, even as the value of trades slowed from Oct. 12's heavy sell-off to a total of just 438.3 billion VND (21.2 million USD). Volume reached just 29 million shares.

Six of the 10 leading shares by capitalisation saw gains of 0.4-1 per cent, while Vietcombank (VCB) was the only share in this group to close down.

Real estate developer Hoang Quan (HQC), which was included in the list released by the exchange of shares ineligible for margin trading, was the most-active code, with 2.25 million traded. HQC slumped by another 3.5 percent to 11,000 VND per share.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index lost about half a percent of its value to conclude the session at 69.11 points. Losers outnumbered gainers by 128-99, while the value of trades declined 33.7 percent from the previous day to 306.5 billion VND (14.8 million USD). Volume reached 31.2 million shares.

The market was sent reeling on Oct. 12 by the announcement of shares that could not be traded on margin, and several analysts opined that market value would significantly decrease in Ha Noi since a significant number of shares accounting for a sizeable portion of trading on the northern bourse were included on the ineligible list.

The criteria for inclusion on the list were too harsh, said Bao Viet Securities Co analyst Tran Hai Yen. "Quarterly losses are normal if the companies are not under too much financial burden," she wrote in a note, urging regulators to consider more flexible criteria.

Kim Long Securities Co (KLS) was the most-active share nationwide, with 3.4 million shares exchanged.

Meanwhile, Phuong Dong Securities Co (ORS) also saw investors unload a net of 1.5 million shares of its stock at a floor price of only 3,000 VND per share, following the release of information that a member of its board had been involved in fraud.

Kim Eng Securities Co analyst Nguyen Thanh Lam said, "I do not see any changes in the current downtrend at the moment," despite global stocks overnight supporting a rally. He advised investors to keep a high ratio of cash in their portfolios.

According to a Kim Eng Securities Co report, finance and industrial stocks were still the most attractive for investment, followed by petroleum and consumer goods shares. Besides these, only healthcare stocks have managed gains this week, advancing by over 2 percent in HCM City and around 16 percent in Hanoi, the report said./.