Shares closed off slightly for a second day on the HCM Stock Exchange, with the VN-Index slipping by 0.17 percent on Oct.18 to end the session at 457.59 points.

Trades continued sluggish, with only 26.4 million shares changing hands, worth just 686.5 billion VND (32.3 million USD).

Vietnam Mechanisation Electrification and Construction (MCG), the most-active share on the day with 1.6 million traded, was also the day's top gainer, closing up 4.8 percent as its shareholders commenced a planned purchase of 3.2 million shares.

Buying by foreign investors began slowing down, as they just picked only a net of about 100,000 shares on the HCM City market, worth a net of 11 billion VND (564,102 USD). They were net buyers on the Hanoi market, but by a volume of just 354,100 shares, worth only 8.2 billion VND (420,512 USD).

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index also fell for a second day, ending the session down 0.67 percent to 118.89 points.

The value of trades grew by 4.2 percent over Oct. 15 to 371.2 billion VND (19 million USD), on a total volume of 17.3 million shares. PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) was the most-active share on the northern bourse, with 1.7 million traded.

Ocean Bank deputy director Nguyen Hong Hai said that stock markets were coping with shortage of new capital inflows as both major institutional investors saw not many changes in market situation.

Tightened credit contributed to limit capital inflows, even as the number of shares listed on the market was expected to continue increasing through the end of the year, Hai said.

Vietnam International Securities Co analysts predicted that indices would fluctuate with a narrow band this week, as economic fundamentals were sound enough to prevent a steep dip in the market./.