Manila: Investors took note of the temporary truce in the Middle East, bolstering sentiments in the local bourse and the currency markets Thursday. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 0.08 percent to 6,330.65 points, and the broader All Shares by 0.16 percent to 3,760.45 points.

According to Philippines News Agency, most of the sectoral indices ended in the red, except for the Property and the Holding Firms, which rose by 1.30 percent and 0.42 percent, respectively. Mining and Oil fell the most at 1.37 percent, and was trailed by the Financials, 0.16 percent; Industrial, 0.15 percent; and Services, 0.09 percent. Volume totaled 722.06 million shares, amounting to PHP6.06 billion. Gainers led losers at 94 to 76, while 82 shares were unchanged.

Luis Limlingan, Regina Capital Development Corporation head of sales, said US President Donald Trump's move to help secure a ceasefire in the US 'reduced oil supply fears.' 'Attention turned to Friday's US PCE (personal consumption expenditure) inflation data, with (Federal Reserve Chair Jerome) Powell signaling a slight uptick but maintaining the Fed's inflation stance,' he said. US' May 2025 PCE is expected to again rise by 0.1 percent, similar to last April's jump, due to the impact of tariff-based price increases. Powell, in his speech before the US Congress on Wednesday, said monetary authorities consider the inflationary impact of the tariff rate changes 'a risk we feel' and a risk they "need to manage."

The optimism on the easing tensions in the Middle East was also felt in the currency market during the day, with the Philippine peso improving to 56.60 against the US dollar from its 56.71 close on Wednesday. It opened the day at 56.65, better than its 56.8 start in the previous day. It traded between 56.57 and 56.69, bringing the day's average to 56.62. Volume rose to USD1.56 billion from the day-ago's USD 1.55 billion.