HÀ NỘI — The market ended mixed on Thursday, with liquidity falling below VNĐ20 trillion (US$758.4 million), reflecting cautious investor sentiment.

On the Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index rose by 6.99 points, or 0.42 per cent, to close at 1,655.99 points.

However, the overall market sentiment leaned toward negative, highlighted by 179 decliners compared to only 120 advancers on the southern bourse. The weaker liquidity was apparent, as trading volumes dipped to nearly VNĐ19.7 trillion.

The benchmark index's gains were primarily supported by the large-cap VN30-Index, which contributed over 11 points with 12 stocks appreciating in value. 

The VN30-Index finished at 1,897.6 points.  

Notably, Vietjet Aviation (VJC) hit its ceiling price, with over 279,000 shares purchased at the ceiling price.

Vingroup (VIC) followed closely, increasing by 3.4 per cent, while HDBank (HDB), associated with billionaire Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, also performed well.

The banking sector emerged as the standout performer, with Sahabank (SHB) leading the way, up by 1.22 per cent, driven by substantial trading activity. 

Both HDBank (HDB) and VPBank (VPB) recorded gains of 1.6 per cent, signalling that capital flows remain focused on leading stocks within this space. 

A handful of banking stocks like MBBank (MBB), Vietinbank (CTG) and Techcombank (TCB) experienced slight declines of 0.51-0.64 per cent, thus their impact on the sector as a whole was minimal.

Real estate stocks showed positive movements as well, besides VIC. 

Vinhomes (VHM) increased by 0.93 per cent, while Dat Xanh Group (DXG) and Khang Dien House (KDH) rose by 1.57 per cent and 0.14 per cent, respectively. 

Nonetheless, the sector faced some setbacks, such as Novaland (NVL)'s sharp decline of 3.51 per cent and Nam Long Group (NLG) dropping 2.62 per cent.

The index's gains were capped as several sectors faced significant selling pressure. 

In the industrial sector, Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment JSC (CII) fell by 1.53 per cent. 

The financial services sector also saw losses, with VIX Securities (VIX) down 1.8 per cent, Vietcap (VCI) down 2.09 per cent and Saigon-Hanoi Securities (SHS) declining by 0.99 per cent, indicating a trend of capital withdrawal from higher-risk segments.

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index fell slightly by 0.8 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 264.23 points.

Investors poured nearly VNĐ1.2 trillion into the northern exchange, equivalent to a trading volume of nearly 56 million shares. 

Foreign investors snapped their selling stance after buying over VNĐ293 billion on HoSE. However, they still net sold over VNĐ3.6 billion on HNX. — BIZHUB/VNS