REUTERS – Stocks edged lower on Monday after fears of a divided parliament in Italy, the euro zone’s third-largest economy, rekindled worries about the currency union’s stability. The center-right coalition led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was leading in the race for the Italian Senate, dashing hopes of a pro-reform, center-left victory seen as crucial to dig the euro... 

HCMC’s consumer price index (CPI) this month is forecast to rise 1% month-on-month as steep demand during the Tet holiday drove up prices, according to the HCMC Statistics Department. Ten of the 11 groups of goods have marked up while there is only one group having prices unchanged from last month. According to the department, the highest price increase of 3.34% belongs to the beverage-tobacco... 

Milk producers have announced they will raise prices soon though local consumers are still struggling with sky-high food prices. FrieslandCampina Vietnam will increase prices of all its powdered milk products by 10% on March 31, according to a Big C supermarket executive. Similarly, Vinamilk has required distributors to raise prices of 80% of its powdered milk, condensed milk and infant formula products... 

Some banks increased U.S. dollar selling prices from VND20,940 to as much as VND21,036 on Thursday. Vietnam International Bank (VIB) quoted a selling price at VND21,035 per U.S. dollar, only VND1 lower than the ceiling level. Earlier, at 4:30 p.m., BIDV raised the greenback price to the ceiling level, but then lowered it to VND20,910 on closing transactions. ACB adjusted its quotation board 18 times... 

Although both indices rebounded on reassurance by authorities to investigate rumors last Friday, securities firms predicted that the markets would witness seesaw trading and low liquidity this week as investor sentiment has turned cautious after a volatile week. The panic that caused last Thursday’s massive sell-off was well soothed by assurances that the rumors that spread in the market were ungrounded.... 

The volume of motorcycles consumed nationwide last year amounted to 3.11 million, down 6.6% from the previous year, which is the first year the domestic market has seen a decline. According to Honda Vietnam, holder of the biggest motorcycle market share, although motorcycle makers launched several new products as well as promotion programs and supports last year, the consumption volume still declined... 

The life insurance industry having just passed a tough year practicing prudence is setting a realistic growth target for this year. The industry aims to achieve premiums of over VND19.7 trillion in 2013, a growth of 10% year-on-year. Last year, the industry obtained VND18 trillion, up 12% from 2011, which is considered a success in an extremely tough year for the industry players. The growth target... 

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) expected that seafood exports would help the industry obtain this year’s revenue target of US$6.5 billion as many challenges in aquatic farming sectors are foreseen. Farmed tra fish and shrimp exports have fetched the biggest foreign currency revenue for the country with the U.S., Japan and Europe being the largest importers. However,... 

Sumimoto Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) will continue giving supports to Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Eximbank) in many fields, especially in risk management, said Hiroshi Minoura, a board member and deputy general director of SMBC, at the ceremony to mark the five-year strategic partnership between the two lenders. Minoura told the function in HCMC on Friday that Vietnam’s... 

Given the absence of specific guidelines from ministries and agencies, the Government’s solutions provided in resolutions 1 and 2 to support troubled businesses, tackle mounting bad debt and subsidize interest rates for certain homebuyers have yet to materialize as planned. Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh told representatives of ministries and agencies on Tuesday that there are...