Employees monitor stock prices at a securities company in HCMC. After three times failing to test the 1,280-point level, the VN-Index of the HCMC market was driven down to below its reference price due to the weak cashflow and fell slightly at the close today, July 21 – PHOTO: THANH HOA
HCMC – After three times failing to beat the 1,280-point level, the VN-Index of the HCMC market was driven down to below its reference price due to the weak cashflow and fell slightly at the close today, July 21.
With 188 advancers and 171 decliners, the benchmark index shed 2.5 points, or 0.2% against the previous session at 1,270.79. The HCMC market saw 452 million shares worth some VND16 trillion changing hands, dropping 20.5% in volume and 10.5% in value. Of the total value, shares traded in block deals accounted for more than VND3.3 trillion.
Strong selling weighed heavily on many bluechips and prompted many stocks to reverse course to end lower.
Among bank stocks, only five maintained growth---LPB, TCB, OCB, MBB, TPB, while the rest plunged into the red. Lender HDB was the biggest loser as it declined 3.6%. VIB switched to the downward trend, sliding 2.1% after improving over 4% in the morning phase. STB, BID, ACB, VPB, EIB, SSB decreased slightly, by less than 1% each.
In the group of securities stocks, only TVS and FTS made gains, while the remaining stocks were losers.
Regarding steel stocks, HPG fell by 1.2%, its fellow NKG and TLH lost over 1%. Only HSG maintained growth, up 1.1%, while POM and SMC closed unchanged.
Meanwhile, all members in the Vingroup family were winners. Property firm VIC added 0.97% to VND104,000, housing developer VHM inched up 1.31% to VND108,000, and retailer VRE expanded 2.62% to VND27,400.
Most of the remaining bluechips closed lower, such as property developer NVL, consumer food producer MSN, dairy firm VNM, tech company FPT, and mobile phone retailer MWG.
As for speculative stocks, investment firm FIT hit its upper limit. SCR, TTF, HNG closed on an upbeat note, while members in the FLC group were decliners.
On the northern bourse, the HNX-Index also fell slightly by 0.1%, or 0.3 point to stay at 300.8 points, with 96 winners and 99 losers. Turnover on this bourse contracted 41% in volume and 42.6% in value at 62.5 million shares and some VND1.4 trillion.
