Stocks rose slightly Tuesday in cautious trading in as some investors took profits ahead of the new year after a record-breaking lead from Wall Street.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 17.46 points, or 0.2 percent, to close the year at 7,139.71 on a value turnover of P11.1 billion. The benchmark index slipped 0.8 percent from the first day of trading this year. Losers edged gainers, 122 to 199, with 36 issues unchanged.
The peso, meanwhile, closed the year at 48.023 against the US dollar Tuesday, up 5.2 percent from 50.685 at the start of 2020.
Dito CME Holdings Corp., the third major mobile phone company, surged 11.1 percent to P10.90, while AC Energy Philippines Inc., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp. jumped 12.2 percent to P9.
Nickel Asia Corp., the biggest nickel miner, advanced 8.1 percent to P5.60, while BDO Unibank Inc. of the Sy Group, the largest lender in terms of assets, climbed 2.2 percent to P106.80.
The rest of Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday following a record-breaking lead from Wall Street as investors cheered the passage of a huge US stimulus bill which has helped temper fears about surging coronavirus infections.
With President Donald Trump finally signing off on the $900-billion rescue package and a post-Brexit trade deal now agreed, the mood on trading floors was a little lighter heading into the new year.
News that more vaccines could be rolled out soon also provided a lift, even as governments around the world were forced to impose lockdowns and other strict, economically painful measures to contain surging COVID-19 cases.
“Where we are right now in the equity market is somewhat of a sweet spot,” Michael Cuggino, at Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, told Bloomberg TV. “We’ve got stimulus, likely more on the way.
“You’ve got great comps on earnings going into next year with respect to equities, and you have a pent-up demand situation as the economy both in the US and globally comes out of COVID.”
Trump had held off signing the stimulus package for almost a week saying it did not provide enough cash to Americans, calling for handouts to be jacked up to $2,000 from the $600 offered in the initial bill.
Democrats agreed more was needed and on Monday the House of Representatives approved a motion to increase the payments, though it will likely meet resistance from Republicans in the Senate.
President-elect Joe Biden, asked by a reporter Monday if he favored raising the payouts to $2,000, replied: “Yes.”
All three main indexes on Wall Street ended at record highs, as did Germany’s DAX, and most of Asia followed suit.
Tokyo led the way, soaring 2.7 percent to end at a 30-year high, while Wellington was up more than one percent. There were also healthy gains in Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai and Singapore. However, Shanghai, Taipei, Jakarta and Bangkok all fell.
US futures were also in positive territory.
The cash handouts will “provide that immediate key consumption bridge through the first quarter until the vaccines become more widely distributed,” said Axi strategist Stephen Innes. With AFP
