Getting into stocks and shares

Though the benchmark VN-Index has lost nearly 19 percent this year, the bank said it was confident about the long-term prospects of the market as companies have been "on a roll" in terms of growth and profits in recent years. The average earnings per share of listed companies had grown by 35 percent last year, and while trading had dipped in the last few months, the Vietnamese market had surpassed Singapore and Indonesia to become the second largest in Southeast Asia behind only Thailand. Local retail investors accounted for around 87 percent of trading. Though foreigners had been mostly withdrawing from the market for nearly three years, they "have started to dip their toes into this market again" in the past few weeks. This was because only seven of the 30 biggest stocks on the main bourse, the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, had reached their foreign ownership limit. Overall the VN-Index had a foreign ownership limit of 44 percent, and current foreign holdings were at less … [Read more...] about HSBC optimistic about Vietnam stock market despite plunge

Unlike previous trading sessions, the demand for pillar stocks remained until the end of the trading session, instead of being sold off at G hour. The VN-Index rallied robustly by 14.57 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 1,223.38 points. Although the VN-Index regained strongly, the number of winners and losers was quite balanced, with 224 advancers compared to 210 decliners. However, the number of gainers completely dominated the VN30 basket, with 26 gainers compared to four losers, namely HPG, KDH, PLX, and SAB. The driving force for the VN-Index continued to come from MSN, with an increase of 4.3 percent. The steadiness of MSN was the motivation for the rest of the stocks in the VN30 basket, such as GAS, VNM, FPT, VRE, VCB, TPB, STB, SSI, PNJ, and CTG. The bright spot in the trading session also included banking and securities stocks. After the previous series of corrections, this stock group simultaneously recovered thanks to the appearance of the bottom-fishing cash flow. … [Read more...] about VN-Index revives 15 points

Workers processing seafood at a Vĩnh Hoàn factory. VHC was among stocks lifting indices yesterday. Photo seafood.vasep.com.vn HÀ NỘI — The market ended bullish on Tuesday as strong buying forces brought an upswing on blue chips, lifting indices. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index started off the afternoon session with an inverse head and shoulders pattern but later broke the neckline to reach 1,233.38 points, up 14.57 points, or 1.2 per cent. The market’s breadth was positive with advancers outnumbering decliners by 223 to 211. Notably, three stocks hit floor prices whereas six hit ceiling prices. The market’s liquidity was low with only 479 million shares traded on the southern bourse, equivalent to VNĐ12 trillion (US$520 million). The 30 biggest stock tracker VN30-Index rose by 17.36 points, or 1.38 per cent, to end at 1,272.71 points. In the basket, 26 stocks climbed while four slid. Masan Group (MSN) continued to … [Read more...] about Market ends bullish on strong buying forces

A four-year-old Vietnamese girl has passed away after she was bitten by a venomous snake but no venom antiserum against the species was available for use to save her then, local authorities said. The little girl, S.T.N.N., died on Sunday, a week after being bitten by a Malayan krait snake, one of the venomous snake species, while sleeping at home in Phuoc Tan Commune, Son Hoa District, Phu Yen Province, located in the south-central region. N.'s mother found her daughter being bitten by the snake at 0:00 on May 16 and took the girl to the district health center immediately, the commune authorities said. Due to her critical condition, the girl was transferred to the Phu Yen Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital at 2:30 am the same day in a state of lethargy and difficulty breathing. Doctors later performed endotracheal intubation on the girl as she showed signs of apnea, said Dr. Phan Van Minh, the hospital director. They promptly transferred her to the provincial General … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, little girl dies of snakebite as hospitals couldn’t find corresponding antivenom

A doctor checks the PET/CT scanner before operating it at Cho Ray Hospital. (Photo: SGGP) Exhaustedly searching places to get PET/CT scans In the past three days, Nguyen Dinh Hung, living in Binh Chanh District in HCMC, had to visit many hospitals around the city to find a place to take PET/CT scans for his mother, a patient suspected of having stomach cancer. At first, Hung went to HCMC Oncology Hospital, but the hospital said that it no longer had any radiopharmaceuticals to operate its scanner. Hung took his mother to Military Hospital 175 and then People's Hospital 115, but these two places also turned him down because their machines stopped working. Being told by his friends that only Cho Ray Hospital had a working scanner, he registered a PET/CT scan for his mother there. However, due to the overwhelming number of patients, it takes more than a month before his mother’s turn comes. "For cancer patients, a long waiting time may cause the disease to advance to a severe … [Read more...] about Shortage of radioactive materials needs to be resolved urgently

Visually impaired music lovers in Sóc Trăng Province form a group and organise quality performances as a way to spread positivity. Photo courtesy of thanhnien.vn HCM CITY - A group of young music lovers of the Sóc Trăng Province Association of the Blind is determined to play musical instruments smoothly and organise quality performances as a way to spread positivity. After a month since the band “Aspirations” consisting of visually impaired members was established, atmosphere at the provincial Association of the Blind has become more cheerful and bustling. The band has 14 members aged 14 to 40. Each person has different interests, but they all share the same passion for music and the desire to live a useful life for their family and society. Most of the band members are working as massage therapists at the Association of the Blind in Sóc Trăng Province. Member Đoàn Thị Huỳnh Tươi, 23 years old, told Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper that some members had been … [Read more...] about Visually impaired students to spread positivity via musical performances

Businesses across Ho Chi Minh City have increased prices of essentials due to higher production costs despite consumer purchasing power having decreased by up to 25 percent, a survey of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has shown. Enterprises in Vietnam have issued warnings that food prices will continue to rise unless solutions are found to restrain surging food input costs, including raw materials, gasoline, and animal feed. As a case in point, cooking oil is now being sold 15-20 percent more expensive at supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City than at the beginning of the year, and 70-90 percent higher than the price of 2020. Notably, Tuong An cooking oil now sells for VND60,000-160,000 (US$2.6-$6.9) per liter, depending on the type, while a set of 10 chicken or duck eggs is offered at VND33,000-VND38,000 ($1.4-$1.64) at traditional markets. The rates are about 20 percent higher than earlier this year, and nearly double those of last year, mostly owing to higher production costs and … [Read more...] about Purchasing power drops, food prices rise in Ho Chi Minh City