An investor looks at stock prices on a smartphone at a brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index fell 0.24% to 1,272.02 points Monday while European shares slid.
The index closed 3.12 points lower after gaining 2.27 points in the previous session.
Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange decreased by 31% to VND11.597 trillion (US$455.1 million).
The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 20 tickers fell.
BID of state-owned lender BIDV saw the biggest drop of 2.3%, followed by VIB of Vietnam International Commercial Bank with a 1.5% decline and SSB of SeABank, down 1.2%.
Six blue chips gained. HDB of lender HDBank went up 6.8%, POW of electricity producer Petrovietnam Power Corporation rose 1.25% and STB of lender Sacombank closed 1.2% higher.
Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of VND350 billion, mainly buying STB and CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank.
The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.43%, while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market went up 0.56%.
Globally, European stocks edged lower on Monday as elevated government bond yields prompted investors to pull out of equities at the end of a positive year for regional markets, Reuters reported.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index dropped 0.4%, with technology and industrial goods makers leading broad-based declines.
Trading volumes were thin ahead of the New Year holiday, with several markets in Europe set to close early on Tuesday.
The STOXX 600 is still on course for a 5.9% annual rise, with German stocks leading regional gains and French shares lagging.
