Foreign investors recorded their highest net selling in half a month, offloading approximately 1,571 billion VND on the HoSE today. This follows a brief pause yesterday, which largely stemmed from block trades in VPL, with some securities firms suggesting underlying selling pressure remained.

This trend was evident in today's trading session. In the morning, foreign investors resumed net selling, recording over 792 billion VND before the midday break. The selling pressure from foreign investors intensified in the afternoon, pushing the total net selling value to approximately 1,571 billion VND on the HoSE, marking the highest level in the past half-month.

The market saw seven stocks with net selling exceeding 100 billion VND each: VHM, HPG, MWG, VPB, HDB, FPT, and VCB. Conversely, no single stock recorded net buying above 100 billion VND.

Investors monitor the stock market at a company in TP HCM. *Photo: Thanh Tung*

The significant outflow of foreign capital weighed on market sentiment. While the stock market remained positive in the morning, holding above the 1,700-point mark and briefly rising 19 points, intensified selling pressure in the afternoon pushed the market into the red.

The VN-Index closed above 1,684 points, down nearly 11 points from yesterday. On the HoSE, 233 stocks declined, three times the number of advancing stocks. Most sectors, except for insurance, oil and gas, and real estate, saw their indices fall. Key blue-chip stocks, particularly HPG and banking names like BID, TCB, VCB, CTG, VPB, and MBB, were major contributors to the VN-Index's decline.

Market liquidity also decreased as stocks fell. The total trading value on the HoSE was over 21,100 billion VND, approximately 6,200 billion VND lower than yesterday.

Analysts at Shinhan Securities (SSV) noted in their previous end-of-session report that the market is currently fluctuating within a narrow range with declining liquidity. This reflects cautious sentiment from both buyers and sellers, a trend consistent with ongoing geopolitical risks and high oil prices.

SSV suggested investors consider partial disbursements during market corrections. However, given persistent geopolitical risks, they recommended maintaining a moderate stock allocation to manage portfolio risks.

Meanwhile, Saigon - Hanoi Securities (SHS) highlighted the difficulty in finding strong growth opportunities due to numerous prevailing risks and uncertainties in the financial market. They maintained a neutral stance, cautiously evaluating value investment opportunities with high dividend yields in quality businesses.

SHS advised investors to maintain a reasonable allocation. Their disbursement targets should prioritize stocks with strong fundamentals, leading strategic sectors, and exhibiting superior economic growth.

Tat Dat