On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index edged up just 0.19 per cent to close at 632.49 points. — Photo doanhnhansaigon

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Stocks climbed higher towards the end of this morning, propped up by blue chips, despite opening lower.

On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index edged up just 0.19 per cent to close at 632.49 points, while the VN30, tracking the top 30 shares by market value and liquidity, increased 0.72 per cent to end at 662.74 points.

The largest contributors were Saigon Securities Inc (SSI), which was also the most active code with 4.2 million of its shares being traded, banks such as Vietinbak (CTG), BIDV (BID) and Sacombank (STB), software producer FPT Corp (FPT), and steelmaker Hoa Phat Group (HPG), besides Phu My Fertiliser (DPM). They all added about one to three per cent each in value.

Liquidity was modest with nearly 63 million shares, worth VND1.3 trillion (US$59.6 million), being exchanged by the end of the session.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index added 0.21 per cent to finish the morning at 86.49 points, but the market value was low here at just VND346 billion ($15.9 million).

Only six stocks saw trading of more than one million shares. Sai Gon Thuong Tin Real Estate Co (SCR) was temporarily leading, with 2.2 million of its shares being traded at VND8,800 each.

The afternoon session will start at 1pm. — VNS