Investors follow transactions at Tan Viet Securities Company in Ha Noi. Both local bourses have lost nearly 1.8 per cent for the last three days. — VNS Photo Doan Tung

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange was down 0.8 per cent to close at 562.17 points.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange decreased by 0.9 per cent to end at 76.8 points.

Both local bourses have lost nearly 1.8 per cent for the last three days.

The reasons for the declining market yesterday included a negative forecast published by US investment bank Goldman Sachs for global oil prices.

Goldman Sachs predicted that the price US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude could fall to US$20 per barrel by the end of this year in a worst case scenario. Goldman also lowered its forecast for next year's oil price to $45 a barrel from $57 a barrel.

The decline of global oil prices has come amid a rise in output by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other energy exporters such as the US and Russia, which may continue next year while demand may decline.

Yesterday, WTI crude traded at $44.52 per barrel, a slight decrease of 0.3 per cent from last Friday and a decrease of 9.5 per cent after it hit the one-month high of $49.2 per barrel at the end of August.

As a result, Vietnamese energy shares fell including Petrovietnam Gas Corp (GAS), Petrovietnam Drilling & Well Services (PVD), Petrovietnam Coating Co (PVB) and Drilling Mud Corp (PVC) which lost 2.2 per cent, 1.7 per cent, 2.7 per cent and 3.5 per cent, respectively.

In addition, the market's decline was also caused by the US-based Market Vector VNM ETF (VNM ETF) and the Euro-based FTSE VNM ETF (FTSE ETF), which will adjust their investments in Viet Nam's market for the fourth quarter of this year.

"The market is now declining as the ETFs will likely sell large volumes of big companies on the market such as Bao Viet Holdings (BVH), Ma San Group (MSN) and Vietcombank (VCB)," brokerage VNDirect Company reported.

The moves in the two funds made investors lose confidence in those shares and threatened these shares with large sell-offs, VNDirect reported, adding that the brokerage firm would reduce its investments in those shares.

The reason for these funds making that move is the possibility that the US central bank will likely raise the interest rate for the US dollar in the coming meeting on September 16-17, making foreign investors in Viet Nam withdraw their investments to avoid suffering losses.

Last week, VNM ETF announced that the US-based fund would increase its investment in four local stocks, including $34.8 million for the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BID) and $15.4 million for Nhon Trach 2 Power Co (NT2), while selling its stakes in some others such as $8.9 million in Vietcombank (VCB), $3.1 million in Ma San Group (MSN) and $4.8 million Bao Viet Holdings (BVH).

As a result, VCB fell 3.6 per cent, BVH lost 5.4 per cent and MSN dropped 1.3 per cent at the end of the day. Meanwhile, both BID and NT2 were up 6.8 per cent.

Both bourses yesterday traded more than 115 million shares with total trading value of VND1.73 trillion ($75 million), a slight decrease of 1.1 per cent from last Friday. — VNS