VIETNAM, September 23 - HÀ NỘI Shares reversed course to end lower on Friday, pressured by the selling force hitting a series of large-cap stock groups.

On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index lost 0.94 per cent to end at 1,203.28 points.

The index had gained 0.34 per cent, to close Thursday at 1,214.7 points.

Nearly 485.4 million shares were traded on the southern bourse, equivalent to VNĐ11.3 trillion (US$476.6 million).

Market breadth was negative with 162 losers and 287 gainers.

Banking stocks all decreased sharply with losers including Military Bank (MBB), Techcombank (TCB), Tiên Phong Bank (TPB), Vietcombank (VCB), Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BID), VietinBank (CTG), Việt Nam International Commercial JS Bank (VIB) and Saigon-Hanoi Commercial JS Bank (SHB).

Energy stocks declined from the previous session with losers such as Việt Nam National Petroleum Group (PLX), PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PVS), PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services Corporation (PVD) and Drilling Mud Joint Stock Corporation (PVC) and Bình Sơn Refinery (BSR).

The securities and steel sector also performed negatively with losers being SSI Securities Co (SSI), VNDirect Securities Co (VND), Việt Capital Inc (VCI), Hồ Chí Minh City Securities Corporation (HCM), SMC Trading Investment JSC (SMC), Hoa Sen Group (HSG), Nam Kim Group (NKG) and Hoà Phát Group (HPG).

The 30 biggest stock tracker VN30-Index decreased 1.1 per cent, to end at 1,215.41 points.

In the basket, two stocks climbed, and 27 slid, the other was flat.

On a sector basis, 20 out of 25 sector indices on the stock market lost ground, including retail, oil and gas, banking, wholesale, construction, rubber production, IT, logistics, agriculture, real estate, securities, food and beverage, and construction materials.

Regarding the transactions of foreign investors, they were net sellers on both HoSE and HNX.

Foreign investors net sold VNĐ330.98 billion on HOSE, including VNDirect Securities Co (VND) with VNĐ60.6 billion, Masan Group (MSN) with VNĐ57.06 billion, Khang Điền House (KDH) with VNĐ39.08 billion. Foreign investors were net sellers on HNX with a value of VNĐ4.18 billion.

On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index lost 0.45 per cent, to end Friday at 264.44 points.

The northern market index had gained 0.21 per cent, to end Thursday at 265.64 points.

More than 56 million shares were traded on the northern exchange, worth VNĐ1.1 trillion. — VNS