Stocks on April 7: Modest gains at close as investors await developments

The biggest constraint on cash flow is the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Global investors are closely watching developments related to the deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Iran for reopening the shipping route through the Hormuz Strait. The escalating risk of conflict is prompting international capital to prioritize capital preservation over new investments.

At the same time, the domestic market is also holding its breath ahead of FTSE Russell’s mid-March 2026 assessment on the potential upgrade of Vietnam’s market. The results are expected to be announced in the early hours of April 8 and are viewed as a potential major catalyst if Vietnam is upgraded to Emerging Market status. As a result, many large funds chose to stay on the sidelines and observe.

VN-Index trades near reference as investors wait

Under defensive sentiment, the VN-Index spent most of the session fluctuating around the reference level. It at times fell to 1,665.36 points. Prior to that, the market had declined for three consecutive sessions: April 2 (-8.11 points), April 3 (-10.78 points), and April 6 (-9.05 points).

Only in the final minutes did buying interest emerge, helping the index reverse. At close, the VN-Index rose by 2.55 points (+0.15%) to 1,677.54 points. The HNX-Index increased by 1.67 points to 246.70, while the UPCoM-Index gained 0.20 points to 125.63.

Liquidity falls; VN30 provides support

Liquidity was a notable downside as it declined sharply. Total trading volume on the HOSE reached over 608.7 million shares, with a value of 14,980.6 billion dong, well below the previous average of over 20,000 billion dong per session.

In a context of weak money flow, the VN30 basket provided support, rising 4.71 points to 1,840.96. Among leading stocks, LPB (+4.1%), DGC (+2.3%), SSI (+2.0%), VPB (+1.8%), and VIC (+1.3%) posted gains. On the downside, selling pressure remained on HDB (-2.0%), VHM (-1.7%), GAS (-1.5%), and TCB (-1.2%).

Sector divergence: banking and securities lead

The market’s bright spot was the banking and securities sector, supported by expectations of an upgrade. Several stocks rose sharply, including VIX hitting the 6.9% daily limit, FTS up 5.8%, SHS up 4.2%, and BSI up 3.4%.

Meanwhile, real estate and oil and gas groups continued to diverge, mostly fluctuating around the reference.

Foreign investors net sell; focus on financials

Foreign investors continued a selling streak with net selling value of more than 800 billion dong, concentrating on banking and securities stocks including TCB, MBB, HDB, ACB, and SSI. In contrast, they bought net VIC, DGC, and VCK.