Mid-cap stocks rise; VN-Index reverses course to close higher

Efforts to recover late in the session were not enough to turn the largest-cap segment back into gains. However, many mid-cap blue chips and mid- and small-cap stocks rose, partially offsetting the declines and keeping the VN-Index in positive territory.

Market performance: VN-Index closes higher

The VN-Index closed up 0.3% or 5.6 points. VIC fell 0.45%, VHM fell 0.5%, and VCB fell 0.66%, collectively taking away about 3 points, which was offset by gains in other stocks. The breadth of VN30 was relatively balanced with 16 gainers and 13 decliners, while the VN30 basket rose 0.66%.

In the afternoon, the VN30 index recovered more strongly than in the morning. Statistics showed 23 gainers versus 5 decliners. VIC and VHM both recovered, with VIC reclaiming as much as 2.4% and VHM rising 0.95%. From this perspective, the two market leaders contributed positively to the day’s outcome.

Earlier, the VN-Index fell sharply in the morning, down 0.83% (-15.68 points), before rebounding to finish the day up 0.3% (+5.6 points). The final breadth improved to 161 gainers/137 decliners, compared with 123 gainers/162 decliners in the morning. The rebound strength was mainly driven by mid-cap stocks.

VN30 movers: gains led by mid-cap-linked names

Within the VN30 basket, the strongest gains were not concentrated in the largest-cap names. The top risers included STB (+6.37%), VRE (+5.51%), GVR (+4.46%), GAS (+3.94%), LPB (+3.22%), PLX (+2.72%), and VJC (+2.64%). Only GAS is among the Top 10 by market capitalization. These stocks had a more positive impact on the VN30-Index.

Afternoon price action and liquidity

In the afternoon session, GAS, GVR, and STB recorded the strongest price movements. GAS was lifted from around 1:15pm after morning gains of 0.54%, reaching a peak around 1:52pm when it rose 4.76% versus the reference; despite a slight dip near the close, GAS still added 3.38% for the afternoon. GVR was the strongest in the afternoon, up 5.83% from the morning close and closing up 4.46% versus the reference, reversing to a positive day. STB rose about 4.63% in the afternoon, with very strong liquidity of 339.5 billion dong, helping push the day’s turnover to 551.9 billion dong.

Mid-cap support and sector pressure

Many mid-cap stocks attracted strong liquidity and rose. On the HoSE market, 71 stocks closed up more than 1%, including 8 stocks in VN30; the rest were mostly mid-cap. Examples of notable gainers included BSR (+4.86%), DXG (+3.18%), VPI (+3%), GMD (+2.38%), KBC (+2.31%), and BVH (+4.55%). These stocks saw liquidity above 100 billion dong each. For less liquid names, gains above 2% were also common, such as HII (+6.5%), PHR (+3.35%), HHP (+2.87%), ITC (+2.55%), and PVP (+2.54%).

On the downside, the afternoon rebound reduced the number of stocks falling by more than 1%. Only about 15 stocks declined by more than 1%, with liquidity above 10 billion dong. The most pressured sectors and stocks included VIX (-1.55%), SHB (-1.06%), NVL (-2.98%), DGC (-1.44%), GEE (-6.62%), VSC (-2.43%), PC1 (-2.95%), and CTD (-2.76%), with all of them trading over 100 billion dong.

Foreign flows: net buying increased in the afternoon

Foreign investors increased their net buying in the afternoon, at about 1,407 billion dong on HoSE, up 66% from the morning session. For the full day, net value was -241 billion dong, compared with +584 billion dong in the morning. VIC turned to net buying, moving from +27.7 billion in the morning to +195.6 billion for the day. VRE also rose from +87.3 billion to +119.5 billion, while GEX increased from +31.9 billion to +96.8 billion. Other buyers included VPB (+47.1 billion), DCM (+31.4 billion), and DXG (+27.4 billion).

On the selling side, notable net sellers included FPT (-172 billion), VHM (-154.3 billion), MSB (-144.4 billion), ACB (-129.6 billion), VCB (-86.6 billion), DGC (-77.9 billion), and HPG (-72.5 billion).