- The State Bank of Vietnam is ready to increase the supply of SJC gold to the market.

Speaking to the press on December 29th, Mr. Dao Xuan Tuan, Director of the Foreign Exchange Management Department of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), affirmed that the SBV is closely monitoring developments in the gold market and is ready to intervene with solutions such as increasing the supply of SJC gold to stabilize the market, aiming to limit the impact of gold price fluctuations on exchange rates, inflation, and macroeconomic stability. According to Mr. Tuan, the main reason for the continuous increase in SJC gold bar prices recently is primarily due to psychological factors stemming from the upward trend in world gold prices. (See more)

- The Prime Minister has instructed two ministries to closely monitor gasoline and diesel prices in line with global developments.

On December 30th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued a directive focusing on implementing solutions to ensure sufficient supply of petroleum products for production, business, and consumption by people and businesses. The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to take the lead, in close coordination with the Ministry of Finance , in announcing and managing petroleum prices in line with global petroleum price fluctuations and the domestic supply and demand dynamics. (See more)

- The Prime Minister requested banks to supply sufficient cash to meet capital needs.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested the banking sector to meet the legitimate transaction, payment, and disbursement needs of people and businesses during the last days of 2023 and the New Year and Lunar New Year holidays in 2024. This is the content of a directive signed by the Prime Minister on December 29th and sent to the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam regarding ensuring payment operations of the system of credit institutions (according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper).

- 230.2 trillion VND worth of bonds were repurchased ahead of schedule.

According to the Ministry of Finance, as of December 25th, the volume of corporate bonds repurchased before maturity was VND 230,200 billion, an increase of 5.8% compared to the whole year of 2022. Among the companies with the highest repurchase rates, besides banks (49%), real estate and construction accounted for 14% and 13% respectively (according to An Ninh Tien Te).

- Vietnamese stocks to become emerging markets in 2025: Trillions of USD are waiting.

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Foreign capital could flow strongly into the Vietnamese stock market if it is upgraded to emerging market status.

Missing out on market upgrade in 2023 is also one of the reasons why foreign investors are not yet enthusiastic about Vietnamese stocks. The government aims to have the Vietnamese stock market join the emerging markets group by 2025. (See more)

- The Treasury and banks will remain open this weekend, until December 31st.

The State Treasury and banks coordinating the collection of state budget revenue will continue to work on December 30 and 31 to facilitate the collection and expenditure of budget revenue by units, organizations, and individuals (according to Chinhphu.vn).

- Ho Chi Minh City has the first Food Safety Department in the country.

On the morning of December 30th, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee held a conference to announce the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety. Thus, Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality in the country to have a departmental-level administrative unit responsible for ensuring food safety within its territory. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety was established to replace the Food Safety Board, which had been operating for the past seven years (according to Tuoi Tre newspaper).

- Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex contributed 820 million USD to the state budget.

On December 30th, information from Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited indicated that the company had achieved many significant accomplishments at the end of 2023. In 2023, the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Plant's net revenue reached US$6.4 billion, contributing approximately US$820 million to the state budget (according to Thanh Nien newspaper).

- An unprecedented year of windfalls, tens of thousands of farmers become millionaires.

Prices of various agricultural products surged to historical records in 2023. As a result, tens of thousands of durian farmers became "millionaires," earning billions of dong. The income of rice and coffee farmers in Vietnam also doubled. (See more)

- Mr. Trinh Van Chien has been prosecuted; a list of 'controversial' projects of Song Ma has been compiled.

Song Ma Joint Stock Company is the investor of the Hac Thanh Tower project, which has led to disciplinary action and prosecution against many officials in Thanh Hoa, including Mr. Trinh Van Chien - former Secretary of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee. Besides Hac Thanh Tower, Song Ma Company also owns many other "high-profile" projects in Thanh Hoa. (See more)

Today, December 30, 2023, the price of SJC gold in Vietnam unexpectedly increased by 1.5 million VND in the late afternoon, bringing the price back to 74 million VND/ounce. The difference between buying and selling prices is now 3 million VND/ounce.

Today, December 30, 2023, oil prices on the international market are trending upwards. Brent crude rose to $77 per barrel, while WTI crude remained at $72 per barrel.