Stocks tiptoe up

The index closed 2.13 points higher after gaining 1.06 points in the previous session.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange decreased by 5% to VND13.98 trillion ($576 million).

The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 14 tickers gained.

FPT of IT giant FPT Corporation rose 1.9%, followed by HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, up 1.6%, and BID of state-owned lender BIDV, up 1.2%.

Eight blue chips fell. MSN of conglomerate Masan Group dropped 1.9% and BCM of Becamex Investment and Industrial Development closed 1.1% lower.

Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND309 billion, mainly selling SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation and FPT.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.15%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went down 0.16%.