The ratio of bad debts at a number of credit institutions in HCMC in 2011 was still high, or even sharply rose compared to the previous year, said the central bank’s HCMC Branch. The branch unveiled the above information in a review report on last year’s performance and this year’s operation orientation. As per the report, the fifth-group debts – seen as the worst non-performing loans –... 

The local market made a slight gain in the third straight rising session on Wednesday given sudden late rebound of some large caps. The VN-Index rose 2.7 points, or 0.7%, from the session earlier to close at 390.67. The market opened just into the black and fell sharply from the second phase. Having hit a low of 383.05 points, it reversed direction and recovered all the lost ground before closing... 

Analysts believe that with the new strict regulations on the import procedures, the automobile market in 2012 would have no room for unofficial car imports, while the market would witness the establishment of massive official authorized dealers. The Circular No 20 released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which, according to the ministry, aims to re-establish the order on the car import market,... 

There has been a slight increase in business confidence and outlook among European enterprises in Vietnam, according to the EuroCham Business Climate Index survey announced on February 1. The results of the survey showed that the EuroCham business climate index rose to 56 points after dropping 11 points in the fourth quarter of last year. About 36 percent of surveyed businesses express pleasure at... 

Vietnamese gold investors would feel unsatisfactory when hearing about the supposition that gold would not be an attractive investment channel in the future. They may quote figures to show that gold investments brought a high profit of 30 percent at least to investors in 2011. Though the gold price had decreased sharply by the end of 2011, the gold price was still higher by 10 percent than the price... 

The local market kept rising in the final session of January on Tuesday but at a modest pace given falling demand towards the end of the session. The VN-Index gained 3.03 points, or 0.79%, against the day earlier to close at 387.97. Liquidity on the southern exchange sharply improved with 39 million shares worth VND509 billion traded, soaring 80% and 72% from the previous session respectively. The... 

The HCMC Real Estate Association (Horea) has blasted a suggestion to impose the housing tax, saying it is inappropriate to discuss this issue in the face of the current stagnant market. Le Hoang Chau, chairman of Horea, told the Daily that his association had yet to receive any official information regarding this suggestion from the city’s construction department to the Ministry of Construction... 

A big capital volume is flowing into the banking sector, where a drastic restructuring process is taking place. However, experts have noted that the capital mostly has come from laymen, or the investors who are not keen on the finance and banking. On January 1, 2012, SCB–the bank which took shape after the merging of the four banks, officially became operational. SCB is not the only bank which... 

Borrowing money in foreign currencies, especially in dollars, would still be the attractive choice for the businesses in 2012, analysts say. At a meeting with the press in late 2011, the director of a branch of Eximbank in the south, said that the number of clients who are the businesses borrowing capital from the bank branch has been increasing rapidly. The increases have been attributed to the launching... 

The Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HOSE) on Monday announced 30 stocks to be put in an official “basket” to calculate the VN30 Index that will be applicable on February 6. VN30 Index includes 30 stocks listed on HOSE with largest market capitalization and highest liquidity. This group of stocks account for about 80% of total capitalization and 60% of the total transaction value of the market. HOSE...