Investor hesitancy appeared to be the cause of fluctuations on the two national stock exchanges on Nov. 27.

Investors were weighed down by risks and buoyed by technical support, analysts of FPT Securities Co. wrote in a report.

"Their indecision was reflected by marginal swings between gains and losses today," they said, adding that declining interests in blue-chips had also depressed the already bearish market.

The benchmark VN-Index fluctuated but closed on a negative note by the end of the session, giving up 0.27 percent to finish the day at 376.89 points.

The market volume was down 15 percent from the day before to 18.7 million shares but the value of trades increased 15 percent, totalling almost 300.5 billion VND (14.4 million USD).

Large-cap shares continued their slump with the top 30 falling 0.33 percent to close at 443.68 points, with seven codes advancing, 12 declining and 11 remaining static.

Among the few gainers, steelmaker Hoa Phat Group ( HPG ), Military Bank (MBB) and logistic company Gemandept (GMD) posted modest gains of 0.8-19 percent, thanks in part to the support of foreign buyers.

Bac Giang Mineral Exploitable and Processing (BGM) was the most active with more than 682,500 shares changing hands, closing 2.13 percent up at 4,800 VND a share.

Shares on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, however, trod water with the HNX-Index closing unchanged at 50.96 points.

Both trading volume and value dropped by 16 percent, totalling more than 16 million shares, worth 95.3 billion VND (4.6 million USD).

Most blue chips on the northern bourse hovered around reference prices, except PetroVietnam Construction (PVX), which rose 2.44 percent to end at 4,200 VND.

Sai Gon-Hanoi Bank (SHB) continued to be the most active code with over 2 million shares changing hands, closing off 2.08 percent at 4,700 VND a share.

Foreign investors were also mixed on Nov. 27. They concluded as net buyers on the HCM City market, picking up a net 7.67 billion VND (367,000 USD) worth of shares, but they were net sellers on the Hanoi exchange, responsible for 665 million VND (32,000 USD) worth of shares.

According to market insiders, gloomy business result projections in many listed companies this year eroded investor confidence. More and more companies were announcing plans to revise down their business targets or even reduce dividend payouts, which was enough to drive investors away from the market.-VNA