Combined trading volume on the nation’s two stock exchanges hit an all-time single-day record yesterday, reaching 157.3 million shares worth a total of 8.1 trillion (US$455 million).

Volume on the HCM City Stock Exchange alone hit a phenomenal 99.5 million shares, worth a combined VND5.4 trillion ($303.4 million), with shares of Sacombank (STB) responsible for 8 million trades.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, volume climbed to 57.8 million, for a value of VND2.7 trillion ($151.7 million). Building giant Vinaconex (VCG) was the most active share on the northern bourse, with 5.1 million traded.

The heavy trading sent HCM City’s VN-Index soaring to 617.38 points, a gain of 1.94 per cent, while Ha Noi’s HNX-Index spiked by an even more impressive 3 per cent to 211.51 points.

"The Dow Jones passing 10,000 points last night fired up global investors, and the Vietnamese were not an exception," said Nguyen Hoang Hai, a securities analyst of a HCM City-based securities firm.

Wall Street achieved this mark based on the solid business performance of listed firms like Intel and JP Morgan Chase, solidifying confidence in the economic recovery, said Hai.

"As a result, securities investments confirmed their position as an effective channel for turning over profits," he said.

Even profit-takers enjoyed a satisfying session, with most of their sell orders fulfilled, Hai noted. "This means securities are absorbing a great deal of money and investors are putting strong expectations on it," he added, pointing to the continuing net buys by foreign investors yesterday as another supportive factor for domestic traders.

Foreign investors picked up a net of 4.4 million shares on the HCM City Stock Exchange and another million shares on the Ha Noi market. Nguyen Ba Thanh, head of the investment department of SME Securities Co, predicted that the bull market would remain until the VN-Index hit its new resistance mark of 650 points.

Au Viet Securities Co general director Nguyen Hoang Long suggested investors look at seafood, property and maritime transportation stocks as the most promising options for investment in the year’s final quarter.