Gains on world markets last week helped buoy domestic investor confidence, lifting the VN-Index to a close on March 8 of 521.12, a gain of over 1.5 percent.

Volume on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange rose by 20 percent over Friday’s totals to 54 million shares, worth a combined 2.3 trillion VND (121 million USD).

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index advanced by a slimmer 0.63 percent, closing the day at 171.23. The value of trades on the northern bourse also declined by over 16 percent to 933.3 billion VND (49 million USD) on a volume of over 28.8 million shares.

Nearly 80 percent of codes on both bourses posted gains, with Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) claiming the place as most active share on the southern bourse, with a volume of over 3 million traded, and PetroVietnam Construction Co (PVX) leading the Hanoi bourse on a volume of 3.5 million shares.

FPT Securities Co analysts, in their daily report, noted that rising investor confidence was causing volumes and values to increase steadily on both markets without overheating.

Foreign investors concluded on March 8’s trades as net buyers on both stock exchanges of nearly 38 billion VND (2 million USD) worth of shares./.