The VN-Index dropped by another half percent on Nov. 3 to close at 444.16 points.

The volume of trades on the HCM Stock Exchange remained sluggish with just 25.7 million shares changing hands, worth 603.3 billion VND (30.9 million USD). Decliners outnumbered advancers by three-to-one.

Of major shares, only industrial conglomerate Hoa Phat Group (HPG), property developer Vincom Co (VIC), PetroVietNam Drilling (PVD), and financial services group Ocean Group (OGC) posted modest gains. However, their positive impact were undercut by a 1.6 percent loss in value by insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH).

OGC rose to be the most-active share on the bourse on Nov. 3 with 1.1 million traded – the only share with trading volume in excess of 1 million.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index also dropped by 0.8 percent to close at 109.11.

Market volume, however, rose by 22.6 percent over Nov. 3's session to nearly 26.6 million shares, enabling the Hanoi market to surpass trading levels on the southern bourse and achieve a value for the day of 481.3 billion VND (24.7 million USD).

Losers outnumbered gainers by 212-58, with PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) continuing to hold the position as the most heavily-traded stock nationwide on a volume of 1.8 million shares. PVX fell 0.47 percent, however, to close at 20,800 VND (1.10 USD) per share.

Foreign investors remained net buyers on both exchanged, picking up a combined 2.6 million shares worth 88.7 billion VND (4.5 million USD). However, their weakened buys could no longer sustain the market, commented analysts at Saigon Asset Management./.