Philippine stocks buck Wall Street’s decline

Philippine stocks ended the week in the green on bargain-hunting, bucking Wall Street’s sharp decline.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index climbed 48.08 points, or 0.79 percent, to close at 6,142.79 Friday, while the broader all-shares index went up by 22.88 points, or 0.69 percent, to settle at 3,316.95.

Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said investors saw bargain-hunting opportunities after the US Federal Reserve and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas kept benchmark rates steady.

“Philippine shares bounced back again as investors expectations aligned with that of the Fed to maintain the status quo for now, while others are speculating how long interest rates will be kept elevated,” he said.

Value traded was thin at P3.82 billion.