VN-Index steadies at 3-week high

Vietnam's benchmark VN-Index rose 0.04% to 1,113.89 points Thursday and remained at the highest since Oct. 17.

The index closed 0.46 points higher after gaining 33.14 points in the previous session.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange increased by 18% to VND21.99 trillion ($902.06 million).

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

VIC of private conglomerate Vingroup went up 5.6%, followed by VHM of property giant Vinhomes with a 4.6% rise.

VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail closed 2.5% higher and BCM of Becamex Investment and Industrial Development gained 2.3%.

Eighteen blue chips fell.

VJC of budget airline Vietjet dropped 4.1% and SAB of brewer Sabeco fell 1.8%.

Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND806 billion, mainly selling VHM and VCB of state-owned lender Vietcombank.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 0.53%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went up 0.05%.