Blue-chips drive confidence

Key pillar stock Vinamilk (VNM) jumped VND3,000 or 2.94 per cent today to VND105,000, being top gainer of the southern bourse. Masan Group (MSN) followed as it gained VND2,000 or 2.04 per cent.

Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) rose 2.68 per cent to VND42,200.

Financial stocks also saw bigger gains in this session. Saigon Securities Inc. (SSI), Eximbank (EIB) and Vietcombank (VCB) advanced more than 1 per cent each. Vietinbank (CTG) significantly gained 2.4 per cent.

Real estate stocks Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAG) also significantly advanced 1.7 per cent, while Tan Tao Investment Industry Corp. (ITA) was up 1.45 per cent. Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment (CII) climbed 1.19 per cent.

Whereas, small-cap and mid-cap speculative stocks largely cooled down their upward trend. High-liquid stocks like Hoang Quan Consulting-Trading-Service Real Estate Corp. (HQC), Sacom Development and Investment Corp. (SAM), Vietnam Electricity Construction (VNE) massively ended flat. Some stocks even turned head to fall.

Mineral stocks also reduced gains, with Bac Giang Exploitable Mineral (BGM) ending flat, Binh Thuan Mineral Industry (KSA) slightly adding 0.71 per cent. Tay Bac Minerals Investment (KTB) and Lao Cai Mineral Exploitation & Processing (LCM) still sharply rose.

Advancers outran decliners 133 to 78 on Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), while 98 stocks unchanged. The benchmark VN-Index gained 3.41 points or 0.81 per cent to 426.98 points.

Liquidity also strongly improved. The matching value reached VND549.3 billion ($26.5 million) on the bourse. Put-through volume also jumped, boosting total liquidity to 43.1 million shares worth VND728.3 billion ($35.2 million).

Hanoi Stock Exchange’s (HNX) HNX-Index added 0.3 points or 0.44 per cent to 70.79 points. Demand for Habubank (HBB) shares soared today as the bank official announced delisting from August17. The stock hit the ceiling with more than 1 million shares matched.

Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB) also hit the ceiling, with as many as 3.4 million shares matched. The bank held a meeting today to officially announce the merge with Habubank, in which the name of Habubank would be totally deleted.

Other leading stocks meanwhile stayed modest. Some 110 stocks advanced and 94 declined, while as high as 190 stocks unchanged. Liquidity was of 39.5 million shares worth VND376.5 billion ($18.2 million).