Vietnam Insight

US futures slip on renewed tariff concerns. US stock futures edged lower Monday after President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he plans to raise global tariffs from 10% to 15%, following a Supreme Court decision striking down his “reciprocal” tariff policy. Trump indicated the higher duties would take effect immediately, though it remains unclear whether he has formally signed the necessary order. Concerns also mounted that the administration could consider military action against Iran as nuclear negotiations remain stalled, although talks are scheduled to resume in Geneva on Thursday. On Friday, major indexes finished higher in a volatile session after the Supreme Court of the United States blocked Trump’s emergency tariffs. The Dow rose 0.47%, the S&P 500 gained 0.69%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.9%. 

Heading toward the MA20 resistance level around 1,824. The VN-Index closed at 1,824.09 points, gaining 10 points (+0.55%), though liquidity saw a sharp decline of over 50% compared to recent sessions. Market breadth remained positive with 193 gainers against 118 losers. The primary laggards weighing on the index were BID, FPT, and NVL, while VIC, TCX, and CTG provided the strongest upward support. Foreign investors recorded a net buy of 228 billion VND, focusing heavily on VIC, whereas FPT faced significant selling pressure with a net outflow of 854 billion VND.

Trading Strategy: Short-term investors should prioritize holding existing positions and be ready to sell according to plan. Temporarily refrain from new purchases and strictly limit margin usage as liquidity tends to decline ahead of the Lunar New Year. For medium-term investors, the power sector continues to show good momentum, while the real estate sector is trading at relatively low price levels.