A rally in banking shares on both national stock exchanges on June 28 helped sustain indices following news that commercial banks had voluntarily recommitted to lowering lending interest rates.
On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index closed up by 0.43 percent to 507.28 points. Trading value fell by over 11 percent, however, to just 1.4 trillion VND (74.1 million USD) on a volume of 47 million shares.
Decliners outnumbered advancers by 108-91, but bank shares such as Sacombank (STB), Eximbank (EIB), Vietcombank (VCB) and Vietinbank (CTG) all advanced, helping save the VN-Index from posting a loss on the day. A few other blue chips also advanced, including Phu My Fertilisers (DPM), insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and Ocean Group (OCG).
On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index also rose by 0.47 percent to close June 28 at 161.15. Trading volume slid by 20 percent from the previouis sesion's levels to just over 37 million shares, worth a combined 1 trillion VND (57.4 million USD).
Gainers outnumbered losers by 158-98, with many blue chips advancing, including PetroVietnam Construction (PVX), which was again the most-active share on the Hanoi bourse with 3.5 million units changing hands.
PetroVietnam Insurance (PVI), Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Tien Phong Plastic Co (NTP), VNDirect Securities Co (VND) also saw gains by the end of the session.
Foreign investors concluded June 28 as net buyers on the HCM City market, responsible for a net purchase of 2 millions shares, worth a combined 122 billion VND (6.5 million USD). By contrast, they were net sellers on the Hanoi bourse, by a net of around 9 billion VND (495,767 USD) worth of shares./.
