Stocks extended losses on September 16 on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, driven by blue chips.
Major large-cap shares such as Bao Viet Holdings (BVH), PV Gas (GAS) and Vietcombank (VCB) lost value, pushing the benchmark VN-Index down 0.43 percent to close the session at 627.66 points.
With half of the member stocks declining, the VN30, which tracks the top 30 shares by market value and liquidity, also slipped 0.26 per cent to end at 666.66 points.
However, continuous growth of oil and gas-related companies cushioned the market. Shares such as PetroVietnam Transportation Corp (PVT), Petroleum Pipeline and Tank Construction Co (PVX), Petroleum Equipment Assembly & Metal Structure Co (PXS) and Petroleum Industrial & Civil Construction Co (PXI) all hit their ceiling prices on September 16.
Liquidity decreased slightly with market volume down 15 percent from the previous session, totaling nearly 181 million shares, while the value of trades fell 20 percent to 3.23 trillion VND (153 million USD).
FLC Group (FLC) steadily led the market in terms of volume with 36 million shares traded, but its price sank 3.3 percent to end at 11,900 VND per share.
On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index managed to close in the green with an increase of 0.83 percent at 90.15 points.
However, liquidity also declined as trading volume fell 25 percent from September 15, reaching 91 million shares worth nearly 1.3 trillion VND (61.6 million USD).
PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVX) was again the most active stock on the northern bourse with 8.8 million shares traded, climbing 1.6 percent to finish at 6,400 VND a share.
Foreign investors suddenly turned to sell shares yesterday, unloading over 302 billion VND (14.3 million USD) worth of shares on the two exchanges.-VNA
