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| An investor at Sai Gon Securities Inc's trading platform. Local stocks were down for a fourth day as banks weighed on investor confidence. — VNS Photo Doan Tung |
HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Vietnamese shares yesterday slid for a fourth day as the banking sector was the worst-hit industry on the market.
The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange fell 1.5 per cent to finish at 649.87 points. The southern market has gone down 3.5 per cent in the last four sessions.
The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange edged down 0.7 per cent to close at 84.07 points, totalling a four-day decrease of 3.4 per cent.
The banking sector took the lead in driving markets down yesterday as investor confidence was low during the trial of Viet Nam National Construction Bank's officials, who caused a massive loss for the bank worth thousands of billions of dong, HCM City Securities Corp wrote in its report Thursday.
Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Viet Nam (VCB) plunged 6.3 per cent even though it reported a pre-tax profit of VND4.27 trillion for the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 35.5 per cent.
Other banks such as Viet Nam Import-Export Joint Stock Commercial Bank (EIB), Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) and Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB) were down between 1.1 per cent and 6.1 per cent.
Other financial stocks, including insurance companies and brokerage firms, also extended losses.
Sai Gon Securities Inc (SSI) and VNDirect Securities Corp (VND) dropped 2.2 per cent each, and HCM City Securities Corp (HCM) lost 1.6 per cent.
Among insurance companies, Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) was down 0.8 per cent, Viet Nam National Reinsurance Corp (VNR) declined by 2 per cent and Petrolimex Insurance Corp (PGI) slid 1.1 per cent.
Energy stocks were also among the strongest decliners. PetroVietnam Gas Corp (GAS), PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Service Corp (PVD) and PetroVietnam Coating Corp (PVB) slipped between 2 per cent and 2.5 per cent.
Other blue chips on both local exchanges, such as Viet Nam Dairy Products JSC (VNM), property developer Vingroup JSC (VIC), Tien Phong Plastic JSC (NTP) and Port of Hai Phing JSC (PHP), all recorded losses.
On the positive side, some stocks that had fallen sharply became attractive to investors such as Binh Duong Mineral and Construction JSC (KSB), which surged 6.3 per cent from a three-day plunge of 18.5 per cent.
Investors traded nearly 221 million shares worth VND3.72 trillion, an increase of 30 per cent from Thursday's trading value. — VNS