Shares were mixed on Thursday as selling force returned, weighing on many stocks. However the VN-Index was still cushioned by gains in some large-cap stocks.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index continued the recent rallies with a rise of 2.74 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 1,271.17 points.

The market's breadth was still positive, but liquidity was lower than the previous session. Accordingly, over VND8.1 trillion (US$350 million) was poured into the southern bourse, equivalent to a trading volume of more than 331.7 million shares.

Foreign investors were net buyers on HoSE this morning after net buying nearly VND93.2 billion worth of shares.

The index still received support from high risk appetite, with the VN30-Index posting a gain of 2.4 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 1,313.1 points.

In the VN30 basket, 13 stocks increased, while 16 declined and one stayed flat.

Vinhomes (VHM) led the upside this morning, up 1.77 per cent. The market benchmark was also helped by gains in Hoa Phat Group (HPG), BIDV (BID), Petrolimex (PLX) and PV Gas (GAS).

On the other hand, Viecombank (VCB) was the leader of the bearish group with a fall of 1.17 per cent, followed by Novaland (NVL), Vingroup (VIC), Becamex (BCM) and Masan Group (MSN), down in a range of 0.77-2.14 per cent.

The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) dropped by 1.46 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 313.45 points. VNS