Vietnam Insight

Uncertainty over a potential government shutdown weighed on sentiment. US stock futures edged lower on Wednesday as uncertainty over a potential government shutdown weighed on sentiment. The shutdown is set to begin at midnight unless Congress reaches a temporary funding deal, with Republicans and Democrats trading blame for the standoff. Investors are watching closely how long a closure might last, as an extended shutdown could delay key economic releases ahead of the Federal Reserve’s late-October policy meeting, including Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report. Meanwhile, ADP’s private payrolls data is due later today. On Tuesday, the Dow added 0.18%, the S&P 500 gained 0.41%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.3%, with all three indexes finishing September and the third quarter with solid advances. In corporate news, Nike shares surged 4.5% in after-hours trading after reporting stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and revenue.

Sideway waiting for further news. VNINDEX closed at 1,661.7 (-4.78 points, -0.29%) with relatively stable liquidity. The market had 82 stocks increasing and 241 stocks decreasing. The group of stocks contributing the most to the market's increase was VIC LPB VRE, while those contributing to the market's decrease were VCB FPT and HPG. Foreign investors continued to net sell more than 1,200 billion VND.

Trading Strategy: Prioritize a hold strategy while being ready to sell when targets are achieved. For short-term traders: if the market corrects toward 1,600 and bounces, consider deploying a small allocation. If the index retreats to the 1,540 region, this would present a clearer medium-term buying opportunity. Investors can allocate more aggressively, focusing on stocks with strong drivers such as beneficiaries of the upgrade, companies with robust earnings growth, or those with valuations below the market average.