HÀ NỘI — The stock market extended its losses on Wednesday, with liquidity showing a slight increase compared to the previous session, while foreign investors maintained their net-selling position.

On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index closed at 1,242.53 points, down 3.56 points or 0.29 per cent. Market breadth remained negative, with 201 stocks declining, 100 advancing and 53 remaining unchanged. Trading liquidity slightly improved to approximately VNĐ12 trillion (US$476 million), a 5.2 per cent rise compared to the previous session.

The VN30-Index, which tracks the top 30 largest-cap stocks on HoSE, also dropped by 5.09 points, or 0.39 per cent, to settle at 1,309.72 points. Among the VN30 basket, 24 stocks declined, three advanced and three ended flat.

The market's decline was led by losses in blue-chip banking stocks. The HCM City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDB) posted the largest drop, losing 2.87 per cent and erasing 0.52 points from the VN-Index.

Other significant laggards included the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BID), which fell 0.75 per cent and Vinhomes JSC (VHM), which declined by 1.25 per cent.

Despite the overall downtrend, some large-cap stocks managed to cushion the losses. The Fortune Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank (LPB) surged by 4.87 per cent, contributing over 1.1 points to the VN-Index. Vietnam Airlines JSC (HVN) increased by 2.47 per cent, while the FPT Digital Retail Joint Stock Company (FRT) jumped 4.42 per cent.

Analysts from Việt Dragon Securities noted: "The market continued to retreat and stabilised near the MA(20) region at 1,242 points. Liquidity increased compared to the previous session but remained low, indicating that capital flow is still cautious and in a probing phase. However, the current supply pressure is not significant. The market is expected to receive support from the MA(20) region and may recover in the first trading session of 2025.

"Therefore, investors can remain optimistic about the market’s potential for support and recovery. Short-term opportunities can still be explored in stocks showing positive signals from support zones. However, investors should monitor recovery trends to lock in short-term profits on stocks that have rapidly approached resistance levels or adjust their portfolios accordingly."

On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index also declined, falling by 0.46 per cent to close at 220.67 points. Trading value on the northern exchange surpassed VNĐ1.2 trillion, with trading volume exceeding 78 million shares.

Foreign investors continued their net-selling trend, with total outflows exceeding VNĐ249 billion on the HoSE. — VNS