Shares inched higher on Wednesday morning, led by pillar stocks. But gains were limited by losses in some big stocks.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index rose 0.38 per cent, or 5.12 points, to 1,337.56 points. The market's breadth was positive as 203 stocks increased while 153 declined.

However the liquidity continued to fall with just over VNĐ12 trillion (US$522.5 million) poured into the market, equivalent to a trading volume of more than 390.3 million shares.

The index was supported by gains in large-cap stocks in utilities and real estate sectors. The VN30-Index, tracking 30 biggest stocks in HoSE, climbed 0.44 per cent to 1,376.29 points.

Of which, PetroVietnam Gas JSC (PVGas, GAS) was the leading stock this morning, up 1.51 per cent.

Other big stocks contributing to the market's trend were Novaland (NVL), Techcombank (TCB) and Vingroup JSC (VIC). These stocks all rose in a range of 0.44 - 1.71 per cent.

The gains were limited by some other large-cap stocks including Masan Group (MSN), Vietcombank (VCB) and CII Bridges & Roads Investment JSC (LGC).

On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index also edged 0.43 per cent higher to 320.51 points. VNS