VN-Index inches up

The index stayed in the green throughout the day and closed two points higher after surging nearly 40 points Tuesday.

Trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, rose nearly 6 percent to VND23.5 trillion ($1.04 billion). This was its seventh session in the VND20 trillion range.

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 19 tickers in the green, led by PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex with a 4.8 percent gain.

The ticker is now at a two-month high after finding its bottom in early December.

PNJ of Phu Nhuan Jewelry also hit a two-month peak with a 4.1 percent gain as trading volume nearly quadrupled the average of the last 10 sessions.

VPB of private lender VPBank gained 2.9 percent, while BVH of insurance company Bao Viet Holdings rose 2.7 percent.

Eleven blue chip tickers fell, with MSN of conglomerate Masan Group falling 3.9 percent and PDR of Phat Dat Real Estate Development losing 3.6 percent.

Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of VND319 billion, with focus on CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank and KBC of industrial real estate developer Kinh Bac City.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.39 percent while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market gained 0.94 percent.