The VN-Index could not maintain the momentum of Thursday’s large gain as it retreated a half of a percent on Friday. Foreigners were net sellers on HOSE for the ninth straight session, net selling USD5.0mn worth of shares. For the week, the index fell a half of a percent — its second consecutive negative week. Banks weighed heavily on the index. BID (-3.5%) and CTG (-3.9%) were the top two contributing decliners, respectively, while VCB (-0.6%), TCB (-1.7%) and MBB (-2.1%) also declined.