The VN-Index rose by 0.69% on Friday and closed at a new record high of 1,224.45. For the whole week, the index soared by 5.4%, the biggest weekly gain after the Tet holiday in February. Foreign investors were net buyers for a second consecutive day with a net purchase value of VND703.1 billion (USD30.5mn). The banking sector was the leading contributor to the VNI’s gain, with rallies from names such as BID (+2.4%), VCB (+0.9%), STB (+4.6%) and MBB (+1.4%). Consumer stocks performed