HANOI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The HNX-Index, the benchmark of the northern Hanoi Stock Exchange, ended its two consecutive weeks of growth by closing at 108.02 points on Friday.
The index declined in three out of five trading days this week, pulled down mainly by large-cap stocks in the banking and finance sectors with biggest losers being ACB (Asia Commercial Bank) and SHB (Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank).
Those tickers suffered profit-taking pressure after growth in previous sessions. The banks' tumble was also driven by impacts from a global stock pullback triggered by Turkey's economic crisis, said local analysts.
The index rebounded on Friday, the last trading day this week, thanks to positive signals in the international market which helped calm investors' nerves. Also, global rating agency Moody's upgrade ratings of Vietnam's government bonds and several commercial banks, underpinned by the country's strong growth potential and its ongoing move in the value chain, created solid momentum for the northern bourse's recovery.
Net buying trend of foreign investors remained an upbeat factor, said analysts. In the next sessions, cash inflows may return and support the market's recovery.
The index closed at 108.02 points on Friday, up 0.1 points or 0.09 percent, against the previous trading session.
Comparing to last Friday's closure, the index was down 0.21 points or 0.2 percent.
During the week, the index saw two ups and three downs, posting the highest level of 110.46 on Monday and the lowest level of 107.92 on Thursday.
Comparing to the previous trading week, the benchmark ranged between 108.41 points and 105.6 points.
Nearly 32.8 million shares worth 468.7 billion Vietnamese dong (20.4 million U.S. dollars) were traded at the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Friday, a decrease of 23 percent in volume and 29 percent in value against the previous trading session.
Some 235.7 million shares worth around 3.4 trillion Vietnamese dong (some 147.6 million U.S. dollars) were traded on the bourse this week.
