Stock prices lost the gains from April 3, plummeting on the two nationalstock exchanges, while investors worried about uncertainties in themarket.
On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index lost 1.35 percent to finishApril 4 at 439.77 points. Total market value decreased by 21.5 percent,to 652.5 billion VND (31.1 million USD), while trading volume declinedby 15 percent, to 50.7 million shares.
Only two of the 30leading stocks posted gains, leaving the VN30 Index down 1.09 percent,to stand at 500.28. Among the few winners were Refrigeration ElectricalEngineering Corp (REE), up 1.38 percent to 14,700 VND, and PetroVietnamFinance (PVF), up 2.43 percent to 12,600 VND.
Telecommunications equipment provider, Sacom Development and Investment(SAM), saw the highest volume, with 3 million trades, with their stockvalue climbing by 3.28 percent to settle at VND6,300.
TheHanoi Stock Exchange was more active, with trading volume on the floorup 20 percent from the previous session, to 79.2 million shares, worth atotal 665.6 billion VND (31.7 million USD).
The benchmark HNX-Index, however, fell 1.66 percent, to 73.25 points, as losses outstripped gains by 219 to 57.
Hanoi-based lender Habubank (HBB), the most active stock on the Hanoibourse, with 15 million shares traded, edged up 1.4 percent to close at7,000 VND , on the heels of the news that the State Bank of Vietnamapproved the plan for a merger with Sai Gon-Hanoi Bank (SHB).
Foreign investors continued to purchase Vietnamese stocks on bothexchanges, buying up a combined 51.2 billion VND (2.4 million USD) worthof shares.-VNA