Gold prices rise as uncertainty grows; Government to strive for business-friendly conditions; Mekong Delta opens doors to investors; Myanmar to establish steel JVs with Vietnam; Viet Nam, Thailand eye 20% annual growth in trade

 Local investors continued to unload shares on growing pessimism on May 13, although the low prices attracted foreign bargain-seekers.

 VN organises cashew-themed ‘rendezvous'; Bank assets value surges in March; ‘Privileged' SMEs suffer credit freeze; Big push planned for VN goods; New TPP round begins in Vietnam

 Shares fell further yesterday afternoon as investors increased selling on fears of rising East Sea tensions between Viet Nam and China.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many big foreign investors came to Vietnam with heavy bags of money, but later trucked the bags back home, unable to find any satisfactory places into which to pour their cash.

 Vietnam, Laos oil pipeline gets the green light; Vietnam seeks Japanese investment in stock market; US – major importer of Vietnamese Tra fish; FDI reaches nearly US$5 bln in four months

 Deputy PM welcomes Chinese guest; German delegates visit GIZ development projects; Vietnamese Finance Minister visits Japan; Vietnam chairs workshop on South Africa’s election

 VietNamNet Bridge – There are positive factors to support the growth of the stock market, including the absence of crisis risks and an improving economy, an economist has said.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Years ago, Vietnamese financial investors joined in on a “securities rush”, seeing securities companies as the geese that lay golden eggs. Today, they are fleeing in droves.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Daily securities trading volumes have been soaring since the beginning of the year, a phenomenon completely unexpected by observers and investors.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A newly-issued circular from the State Bank of Viet Nam would not affect foreign indirect investment (FII) in Viet Nam, according to experts.

Sea freight charges to rise next month; Corruption makes for expensive projects; Rice exports reach 1.31 million tonnes in Q1; Russian aviation firm launches office in Vietnam; ODA disbursement on the rise in Q1

 Shares rose again last week on both national bourses with the VN-Index increasing 0.82 per cent to reach 601.75 and the HNX-Index surging 7.02 per cent to reach 90.6 points.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign indirect investments must be transacted in Vietnamese dong, with related transactions being made through accounts in authorised banks, noted a new State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) circular.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The State Commission of Securities (SSC) is expected to submit a plan to the government to merge the two bourses into a single entity: the Viet Nam Stock Exchange.

 It was a historic week for the stock market of Viet Nam as trading volume and value on both national exchanges reached a record high on Thursday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A significant amount of capital was injected into the stock market last week as investor confidence improved, boosting liquidity on both the bourses to a record high.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A decision by Fitch Ratings has resulted in a revision of its outlook on Vietnam’s long-term credit rating to positive from stable, affirming its B+ rating.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Industry experts welcomed the government’s Decree 01/2014/ND-CP which relaxes the bank ownership cap rules for foreign investors.

 VietNamNet Bridge – In 2014, the government will drastically restructure state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and a series of large SOEs will perform initial public offerings (IPO) and listing.