PSEi dips for 3rd straight day amid peso weakness, corruption woes
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) continued its descent as the peso weakened, with investors awaiting positive news amid a corruption scandal.
The main index shed 9.82 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 6,108.72 on Wednesday, Sept. 24, as the Property sector led the decline among all sub-indices.
Volume declined to 5.37 billion shares valued at ₱5.26 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers 103 to 88, with 63 issues unchanged.
“Bearish sentiment in the market continues to prevail as there is no firm catalyst in sight at the moment,” said Luis Limlingan, Managing Director at Regina Capital Development Corp.
He added that “Moreover, international developments are also weighing on Philippine market sentiment, as Fed Chair Powell indicated that slow hiring and persistent inflation are creating a challenging situation for the U.S. economy.”
Japhet Tantiangco, Research Manager at Philstocks Financial, said, “The local market declined further as dismay over the Philippines' corruption issues continued to dampen investors' sentiment.”
“The negative cues from Wall Street, the weakening of the peso against the US dollar, and the recent rise in long-term local treasury yields also weighed on the local bourse,” he noted.
Michael Ricafort, Chief Economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said, “The Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index (PSEi) corrected lower for the third straight day after the US dollar-peso reached near three-week highs at P57.37 lately.”
He also cited recent “political noises” on corruption allegations and the strongest storm in the world so far this year, which could lead to some damage, an adverse economic impact, and higher inflation.