MANILA, Philippines -- The stock market is in for a lackluster trading week as the nation takes a long Lenten break, leaving only Tuesday and Wednesday open for business.

?Many investors and traders will be on vacation and the market will see lower trading activity. For those who are optimistic and brave enough, this week presents a good opportunity to accumulate stocks in anticipation of further share price appreciation,? said AB Capital Securities analyst Prince Anthony Yeung.

On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial index was up by 0.50 percent to 8,017.59. Any conclusive move above 8,000, Yeung said, would be the impetus for the local stock market to stay above the 2,000 index.

Last week, the main-share index of the Philippine Stock Exchange lost 11.66 points or 0.57 percent and closed at 2,028.59, still above the crucial 2,000 mark.

?The increased value turnover represents greater interest in the stock market, which signals that investors are either turning optimistic or are getting their risk appetites back,? Yeung said.

The G20 meeting, which ended with the announcement of world leaders committing $1.1 trillion for the fight against the global crisis, took center stage last week.

?More importantly, world leaders came to an agreement on what steps need to be taken to ensure that the world comes out stronger from the current crisis. Among these were the adoption of stricter regulations on ratings agencies and hedge funds; putting a cap on bankers? salaries and bonuses, and implementation of measures to deal with toxic assets polluting balance sheets worldwide,? Yeung said. -- Doris C. Dumlao