Capital returned to penny stocks today, which helped lift the VN-Index on the HCM City exchange to 450.07 points after adding 0.01 per cent to the bourse's value.

As many as 82 stocks on the southern exchange advanced, including Cat Loi Co (CLC) rising by VND1,000; followed by Thong Nhat Rubber (TNC), up VND700; and Thuan Thao Corp (GTT), up VND500.

The advancers contained four blue chips: Eximbank (EIB), the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), Masan Group (MSN) and Sacombank (STB).

About 131 stocks fell, including seven that matched their floor prices.

Trading value remained below the VND1-trillion level, at VND583.8 billion (US$29.9 million) on a total volume of 23.5 million shares.

In Ha Noi, the HNX-Index declined for the second day by 0.91 per cent to close at 111.51 points.

Trading volume dropped to a meagre 15.2 million shares, worth a total value of VND314.9 billion ($16.1 million).

All advancing shares were penny stocks, including Ha Tay Pharmaceutical (DHT), which rose by VND3,700; Lam Dong Foodstuff (VDL), up VND2,500; and Hoa Cam Concrete (HCC), up VND2,100.

Meanwhile, among the 218 decliners, several blue chips dropped including Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB), Bao Viet Securities (BVS) and Kim Long Securities (KLS).