Philippine Stock Market Registers Second Consecutive Day of Gains While Peso Remains Steady

Manila: The local bourse sustained its gains for the second consecutive trading day on Tuesday, but the local currency closed flat against the greenback. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) increased by 0.12 percent to 6,145.59 points, and the broader All Shares improved by 0.19 percent to 3,652.14 points.

According to Philippines News Agency, except for the Financials index, which declined by 0.21 percent, the rest of the sectoral counters closed in the green territory. Winners were led by Mining and Oil, up by 1.82 percent; followed by Property, which rose by 0.84 percent; Holding Firms increased by 0.36 percent; and Industrial saw a slight rise of 0.02 percent. Services, meanwhile, ended the day little changed.

Gainers outpaced losers at 95 to 83, while 52 counters were left unchanged. Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan commented that Philippine shares managed to eke out minor gains once again as the market shrugged off President Trump's renewed attacks on Fed Chair Jerome Powell. He added that the Philippine market posted modest gains as investors resumed bargain hunting, supported by optimism around strong corporate fundamentals and confidence in the local economy's ability to withstand external risks, including US tariff pressures.

Meanwhile, the Philippine peso ended the day sideways at 56.68 to the US dollar from its 56.61 close on Monday. It opened the trade at 56.65 and traded between 56.60 and 56.77, bringing the average level for the day at 56.69. Volume of trade reached USD1.46 billion, almost the same as the previous session.