Singapore has retained its top position in the world in food security for the second consecutive year in the Global Food Security Index. (Photo: straitstimes.com) Singapore (VNA) – Singapore has retained its top position in the world in food security for the second consecutive year in the Global Food Security Index, which assesses if people have access to affordable and quality food to meet their nutritional needs. Singapore is the only country in Asia ranked in the top 10 of the index. With a score of 87.4 out of 100, the city-state was ahead of second-ranked Ireland, the US (third), Switzerland (fourth) and Finland and Norway in joint fifth. Published annually, the Global Food Security Index considers the core issues of affordability, availability and quality & safety across a set of 113 countries. The index is a dynamic quantitative benchmarking model constructed from 28 unique indicators that measures the drivers of food security across both developing and developed … [Read more...] about Singapore tops food security index for 2nd straight year
Food price index
Blue chips nudge VN-Index upwards
On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the VN-Index is based, 161 stocks gained and 152 stocks lost. The VN30-Index, representing Vietnam’s 30 biggest market cap stocks, rose 59 percent with 18 stocks gaining and only 5 losing. Eight stocks rose at least one percent this session. Most banking stocks rose this session save for CTG of VietinBank, one of Vietnam’s three biggest state-owned lenders by assets, which fell by one percent. MBB shares of state-owned Military Bank led the gains, with a rise of 3.3 percent, followed by FPT shares of IT giant FPT and MWG of electronics retail giant Mobile World which both rose 1.8 percent. Next were PNJ shares of Phu Nhuan Jewelry and NVL of real estate developer Novaland, which rose 1.6 and 1.4 percent respectively. VCB of Vietcombank and BID of BIDV, two of Vietnam’s other biggest state-owned lenders, rose 0.6 and 0.5 percent respectively, while stocks of mid-sized private lenders such as HDB (HDBank) and VPB … [Read more...] about Blue chips nudge VN-Index upwards
Gold prices soar in Vietnam as US-China trade war escalates
By 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Vietnam’s largest jewellery company DOJI was selling gold at VND42.6 million ($1,868) per tael (1.2 ounces), up VND850,000 ($37.26) and 2 percent higher compared to the same time the previous day. The buying price was VND42 million ($1,841). Phu Nhuan Jewelry also raised its prices by around 1.55 percent to sell at VND42,400 ($1,859) and buy at VND41,900 ($1,837) per tael. By the end of Friday’s session, gold prices in the US rose $27.9 to nearly $1,527 an ounce after President Donald Trump announced on Twitter an additional 5 percent duty on some $550 billion in targeted Chinese goods. Investors also piled onto safe-haven Japanese yen as U.S. stocks, the dollar, and oil prices fell. About $250 billion of Chinese goods imported into the U.S. already have a 25 percent tariff. This newest increase will raise tariffs to 30 percent beginning October 1, 2019. The increase in tariffs on Chinese imports follows news earlier on Friday that China will … [Read more...] about Gold prices soar in Vietnam as US-China trade war escalates
Stock market down as trade war escalates
Overall, on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the VN-Index is based, 101 stocks gained and 206 stocks lost at the end of Monday session. Vietnam’s index for its 30 highest market cap stocks, the VN30-Index, fell 0.89 percent to 892.48 points. The HNX-Index, which represents a separate market for smaller and mid-cap stocks, fell 0.43 percent, and the UPCoM-Index for unlisted public companies fell 0.71 percent. Blue-chips, real estate and oil and gas stocks were mostly losers in this session, with 12 stocks falling by above 2 percent. GAS shares of state-owned oil and gas corporation PetroVietnam Gas JSC fell 2.5 percent, and CTD shares of construction giant Coteccons dropped 2.9 percent. VIC shares of private conglomerate Vingroup and VHM shares of its real estate arm, the two largest market cap stocks on HoSE, also lost 0.2 and 1.1 percent respectively. The only exception to the general selling trend of the market were some banking stocks, such as MBB of … [Read more...] about Stock market down as trade war escalates
Competition rising in VN ice cream market
Ice cream is also a market where local and foreign brands are battling it out for market share. The Kido Group, formerly Kinh Do, posted its highest revenue growth for three years in 2018 after selling its snacks business. The new strategy - fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) including cooking oil, instant noodles, and frozen foods - lay behind the growth. When penetrating into new markets, the group defined its priorities as market dominance and testing as well as developing its ice cream category, with the aim of remaining the market leader despite the increasing competition and slowing growth in FMCG. Less-than-expected growth Kido Foods, which owns ice cream and other frozen food brands, holds a 40 per cent market share and has a huge distribution network of up to 70,000 points throughout the country. Ice cream contributes up to 80 per cent of its total revenue, but revenue growth from ice cream fell 12.3 per cent last year compared to 2017. Promotional campaigns and declining … [Read more...] about Competition rising in VN ice cream market