Index gains on mixed, active trading

Hanoi (VNA) - This week's rally on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange slowed on March
27, with the VN-Index increasing just 1.16 points - or 0.41 percent - to close the
week at 287.41.

Trading volume reached a four-month high of 33.7 million shares, on a day heavy in
both buys and profit-taking. The total value of the day's trades reached nearly
780 billion VND (45.8 million USD).

"The domestic exchange continued to be supported by gains on the US stock
market, but large sales by investors as they realised profits slowed the growth of
the VN-Index," FPT Securities Co. said in a report on March 27.

"The long-term downward trend of the market has now been broken," said Giang Trung
Kien, director of the FPT Securities analysis department. "The VN-Index is
establishing an upward trend, enabling expectations of positive market
developments in the coming weeks."

International Royal Securities Co. reported that the amounts of money that clients
were depositing in their accounts for investment was already twice the level of
two weeks ago. But it said 'major investors', with portfolios of 7-10 billion VND,
were still cautious, putting only about 40 percent of their investment portfolios
into stocks.

In March 27 trading, most active shares Sacombank (STB) and Saigon Securities Inc
(SSI) each generated orders for around 3 million shares, followed by Phu My
Fertilisers (DPM) and Refrigeration Electrical Engineering (REE) with about 2
million shares each.

Foreign investors remained active, responsible for up to 10.7 million shares
changing hands. They were net buyers of 3.3 million shares, with a net value of
104.5 billion VND (6.1 million USD).

In Hanoi on March 27, the HASTC-Index retreated 1.43 percent to end the week
at 98.57 points, on a trading volume of 17.1 million shares. Total value of March
27's trades was 348.7 billion VND (20.5 million USD).

Shares of securities firms, including Kim Long Securities (KLS) and Bao Viet
Securities (BVS), were among the most active on the northern market, alongside
market leader Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), which saw 3.3 million shares traded.

The FPT Securities report said "investor optimism is spreading all over the
market". If the current purchasing power was maintained, the report said, there
was a high possibility that the VN-Index would soon rise to 320 and the
HASTC-Index to 110 points.-Enditem