The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) ended lower on Friday as investors stayed on the sidelines amid a lack of fresh market drivers, while the peso managed to post slight gains against the US dollar.
The benchmark PSEi shed 0.29 percent to close at 6,109.21 points, while the broader All Shares index dipped 0.17 percent to 3,685.59 points. Sectoral performance was mixed, with most counters in the red: Services fell 0.58 percent, Property declined 0.54 percent, Financials slipped 0.39 percent, and Industrials eased 0.15 percent. Bucking the trend, Mining and Oil surged 2.76 percent and Holding Firms inched up 0.24 percent.
Trading volume reached 6.27 billion shares valued at PHP 6.79 billion.
“The market stayed relatively flat this week, with no major domestic catalysts driving momentum. Although US inflation came in lower than expected, boosting hopes for near-term US Federal Reserve rate cuts, the Philippine market has so far shown little reaction,” said Luis Limlingan, head of sales at Regina Capital Development Corporation.
US consumer price index rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in August 2025, the fastest pace since January. While the figure was within market expectations, it has fueled speculation that the Fed may cut rates soon to support the labor market.
Despite the stock market’s sluggish finish, the peso strengthened slightly, closing the week at 57.10 from Thursday’s 57.19. It opened at 57.05—its strongest intraday level—and touched a low of 57.20, averaging 57.13 for the session. Trading volume slipped to $1.48 billion from $1.57 billion the previous day.