Viet Nam’s benchmark VN-Index inched down on Tuesday morning amid cautious market sentiment and low trading liquidity.

The VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange dropped 0.15 per cent to close at 964.93 points.

The VN-Index fell 0.92 per cent on Monday.

More than 93 million shares were traded on the southern bourse, worth VND2.54 trillion (US$109 million).

Key sectors like real estate, stock broking, food and beverage, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, seafood processing and construction were the major cause for the market downturn.

Global investors were in a cautious stance, waiting for the Fed’s decision on rate cuts later this month.

Meanwhile, the decision of Deutsche Bank AG to withdraw from the global equity market has also made investors nervous.

Large-cap stocks underperformed as the VN30-Index, tracking the 30 largest stocks by market value and trading liquidity, lost 0.29 per cent to 868.36 points.

Twenty of the 30 stocks in the VN30 basket declined while only eight increased.

On the opposite side, retail, agriculture, technology and rubber production were among those that cushioned the market.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index gained nearly 1 per cent to end at 104.83 points.

The northern market index was down 0.54 per cent on Monday.

More than 13.6 million shares were traded on the northern bourse, worth VND225 billion.

The afternoon trading session starts at 1pm. — VNS