Shares ease on mounting global coronavirus infections and fatalities

 

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese shares pulled back on Wednesday morning after two sessions of sharp gains as investors fretted over uncertainty surrounding the COVID- 一 九 pandemic as fatalities mounted across the globe.

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange lost  一. 一 六 per cent to end the morning at  七 三 八.0 六 points.

The VN-Index gained  一. 三 五 per cent to end Tuesday at  七 四 六. 六 九 points.

More than  一 四 九. 二 million shares were traded on the southern exchange, worth VND 二 trillion (US$ 八 五. 二 million).

On Tuesday morning, the large-cap tracker VN 三0-Index declined  一. 七 四 per cent to close at  六 八 一. 五 二 points.

In the VN 三0 basket,  二 四 of the  三0 largest stocks by market capitalisation and trading liquidity lost ground while  四 climbed. Two stayed unchanged.

While the number of emergency admission cases cooled down in New York State, single-day deaths across the US hit a record of more than  一, 九00.

The S P  五00 ended Tuesday down 0. 一 六 per cent. The Nasdaq dropped 0. 三 三 per cent and the Dow lost 0. 一 二 per cent.

In Asia, Shanghai blue chips lost 0. 六 per cent. Mainland China’s cases also doubled in  二 四 hours due to infected overseas travellers.

After US stock markets closed, President Donald Trump said the US was about to hit its peak. He asked Congress for an additional $ 二 五0 billion aid package for small businesses seriously suffering from the pandemic, Reuters reported.

On the Vietnamese market, selling pressure sla妹妹ed many stock groups, hindering indices from maintaining their momentum. Large-cap stocks such as Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) decreased by  六. 一 per cent to VND 四 四, 九00 per share, Phu Nhuan Jewellery (PNJ) lost  四. 四 per cent, Masan Group (MSN) declined  三. 五 per cent, Vingroup (VIC) slumped by  二. 六 per cent.

The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange decreased  一. 四 七 per cent to close Wednesday morning at  一0 一. 九 一 points.

More than  二 六. 七 million shares were traded on the northern bourse, worth VND 二 六 九. 五 billion.

Afternoon trading starts at  一pm. — VNS