The VN-Index gained 0.45 per cent on Friday to close at 510.48, as the Government, in its monthly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, called on the State Bank of Viet Nam to extend its negotiable interest rate policy to short-term loans to businesses.
State Bank Deputy Governor Nguyen Dong Tien said that the central bank was working on the issue under Government guidelines.
The value of trades on the HCM City Stock Exchange yesterday fell to VND1.75 trillion (US$91.6 million) on a volume of 43 million shares.
Lam Dong Mineral and Building Materials Company (LBM) became the most-active share on the day, with 1.6 million traded, receiving a boost from a market prediction that building materials prices would rise this month, as well as its own announcement of a 7-per-cent dividend on April 22, said Le Tuan Anh, head of market analysis with a HCM City-based securities firm.
On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index advanced by a modest 0.18 per cent yesterday, ending the day at 164.11. Trading volume rose slightly to 24.7 million shares, worth a total of over VND853 billion ($44.9 million).
PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) was the most-active stock on the northern bourse, responsible for 1.7 million shares changing hands.
Foreign investors turned out to be net sellers by volume on the Ha Noi exchange of 34,800 shares but were net buyers by value of VND2.8 billion ($147,368) worth of shares. They were net buyers on the southern bourse of 3.3 million shares worth a total of about VND24.5 billion ($1.29 million).
"The beginning of April is always the time for investment funds, especially foreign funds, to begin new disbursements after the fiscal year ends in March," said Nguyen Huy Duong of Hoa Binh Securities Comapny, noting that information on the activity of foreign funds remained hard to verify.