HÀ NỘI – Shares rose for a second day yesterday on the two exchanges as investors were optimistic about the market outlook and earnings prospects of listed companies.

The benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange was up over 1 per cent to close yesterday’s trade at 688.9 points. It rose 0.2 per cent on Tuesday.

On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index added 0.6 per cent to end at 85.5 points.

Blue chips continued their market momentum, with 19 of the biggest 30 shares by market capitalization gaining value.

Financial and bank stocks were the biggest gainers yesterday as the highest valued stocks like Vietcombank (VCB), BIDV (BID), Vietinbank (VCB), Sacombank (STB), Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Sài Gòn-Hà Nội Bank (SHB), HCM Securities Co (HCM), Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) and insurer Bảo Việt Holdings (BVH) all increased.

Sài Gòn-Hà Nội Bank hit the daily limit rise of 10 per cent on the Hà Nội Stock Exchange after the news that sister of the bank’s chairman registered to buy 20 million SHB shares.

Lender BIDV increased 4.1 per cent yesterday on investor expectation in the bank’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting this Sunday. Others rose between 0.7 per cent and 2.1 per cent each.

“Return of money inflows in large-cap stocks not only helped lift the VN-Index but consolidated investor confidence in a longer market rise,” analysts at Vietnam Investment Securities Co wrote in a report.

However, the market needed more solid momentum from strong rises in both volume and value to speed up the market uptrend, they said.

Besides blue chips, many low-valued stocks also attracted investor attention such as real estate developer FLC Group (FLC), Quảng Nam Rubber Investment JSC (VHG), Hoàng Huy Investment Services JSC (HHS), PetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVX) and Sài Gòn Thương Tín Real Estate JSC (SCR).

They were all among the top 5 most active codes on the two markets.

Liquidity increased with 199.4 million shares worth more than VNĐ3.6 trillion (US$161.4 million) traded in the two exchanges, up 8.4 per cent in volume and 20 per cent in value compared to Tuesday’s levels.

Foreign investors returned to be net buyers in the two markets yesterday after two net selling sessions. They purchased shares worth a combined net value of VNĐ45.6 billion. – VNS