Profit-taking pressure continued to mount, pushing the VN-Index back to its starting point by the end of the morning session. The index hovered just above the reference mark, closing the mid-session at 1,856.23 points. Meanwhile, the HNX-Index dipped slightly by 0.24%, settling at 248.5 points. Market breadth increasingly favored sellers, with 390 decliners outpacing 311 gainers.