Manila: The local bourse's main index experienced an uptick for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, with the peso closing sideways at the 57-level against the US dollar.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose by 0.25 percent, reaching 6,098.74 points, while the All Shares index increased by 0.31 percent to 3,684.65 points. Sectoral gauges mostly posted gains, with Mining and Oil up by 4.91 percent, Services by 2.09 percent, Industrial by 0.38 percent, and Holding Firms by 0.19 percent. In contrast, the Financials sector fell by 1.09 percent, and Property decreased by 0.57 percent.

The trading volume reached 4.54 billion, amounting to PHP6.38 billion. Advancers slightly outnumbered decliners at 94 to 92, with 65 shares remaining unchanged. Philstocks Financial, Inc. noted in a market report that the PSEi's growth was supported by positive investor sentiment following the release of the Philippines' August 2025 labor market data, which showed an 8.8 percent month-on-month and 1.9 percent year-on-year increase in employment.

The report also highlighted that the improvement of the peso against the US dollar contributed to the positive sentiment among stock investors. The local currency strengthened to the 57-level after several days at the 58-level, closing the day's trade at 57.95 from the previous day's 58.1. The peso opened the day at 58.20, improving from Tuesday's 58.35 opening. It reached as low as 57.93 mid-trade but also touched 58.23, resulting in an average of 58.09 for the day. The trading volume rose to USD2.03 billion, up from the previous session's USD1.34 billion.