Index packs points for the holidays

Hanoi (VNA) - The VN-Index picked up another 1.88 percent in the final trading
session before this week's holiday break, ending the day at 321.63.

Trading volume on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange rose to 24.65 million shares,
worth a total of 608.21 billion VND (34.2 million USD). Market-leader Sacombank
(STB) accounted for 16.8 percent of value, with 4.3 million shares traded.

Foreigners were net buyers, but just barely, of a net 29,300 shares, concentrating
their purchases mostly on shares of FPT and Hoa Phat Group (HPG).

Domestic buys concentrated on STB, Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) and FPT, signalling
a real accumulation for long-term investment, said Dao Van Khanh, an analyst in
Hanoi . Noting the new investor confidence, Khanh predicted that "transactions
could be more active after the holidays".

In Hanoi , the HASTC-Index on April 29 gained 2.72 percent to end the day at
115. Trading volume was about 15.4 million shares worth 380.7 billion VND (21.4
million USD). Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) was the most-active share, with 2.9
million units traded.

The market will stay dark for the Liberation Day and May Day national holidays,
with trading to resume on May 4.-Enditem