PHL stocks rise on strong peso before GDP data

PHILIPPINE SHARES climbed further on Wednesday amid a stronger peso and as investors took positions before the release of fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 gross domestic product (GDP) data.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) increased by 0.77% or 48.88 points to end at 6,355.78, while the broader all shares index rose by 0.44% or 15.96 points to close at 3,597.04.

“The local bourse moved higher as investors positioned ahead of the GDP print announcement tomorrow while seeing sustained weakness in the dollar,” AP Securities, Inc. said in a market note.

“The local market advanced, backed by the appreciation of our local currency against the US dollar,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Manager Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco likewise said in a Viber message. “The bourse had its negative moments within the day, reflecting investors’ cautiousness while waiting for the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and the Philippines’ fourth quarter and full-year 2025 GDP data.”

The PSEi opened Wednesday’s trading session at 6,303.34, a tad lower than the previous day’s finish of 6,306.90. It sank to an intraday low of 6,287.04 but recouped its losses to close at its high for the session.

On Wednesday, the peso soared to a one-month high versus the greenback as US President Donald J. Trump said the dollar’s value remains “great” despite its recent slide.

The local unit surged by 34.5 centavos to end at P58.74 from its P59.085 finish on Tuesday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

This was the peso’s strongest close in more than a month or since it ended at P58.71 on Dec. 26.

Meanwhile, Philippine GDP likely grew by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, based on a BusinessWorld poll of 18 economists and analysts. This would put the full-year average at 4.8%, below the government’s 5.5%-6.5% target.

Most sectoral indices closed in the green on Wednesday. Services jumped by 2.53% or 64.22 points to 2,600.12; mining and oil increased by 2.22% or 412.77 points to 18,928.16; financials climbed by 0.38% or 8.12 points to 2,116.72; and industrials went up by 0.23% or 21.11 points to 9,008.63.

Meanwhile, property dropped by 0.22% or 5.01 points to 2,247.06, and holding firms declined by 0.14% or 7.49 points to 5,080.91.

“International Container Terminal Services, Inc. was the day’s index leader, climbing 4.12% to P645. ACEN Corp. was the main index laggard, falling 5.1% to P2.79,” Mr. Tantiangco said.

Decliners narrowly outnumbered advancers, 106 to 102, while 54 names closed unchanged.

Value turnover went down to P7.53 billion on Wednesday with 1.58 million shares traded from the P15.85 billion with 2.23 billion issues that changed hands on Tuesday.

Net foreign buying decreased to P463.37 million from P7.41 billion. — Alexandria Grace C. Magno