PH stocks buck regional downtrend

Philippine stocks bucked weak sentiments across the region to end Thursday’s session at a new all-time high.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index added 0.44 percent, or 34.76 points, to 7,871.10, It was the measure’s 20th record high for 2015.

Its last record high was on March 6, when it closed 7,861.33.

The broader all-shares index also added 0.30 percent, or 13.64 points, to 4,546.20.

Only the financial subsector closed in the red with a decline of 0.48 percent. Leading all the other subindices was mining and oil, which rose 0.8 percent, followed by industrial, up 0.78 percent, and holding companies, up 0.74 percent.

A total of 1.57 billion shares changed hands on Thursday valued at P9.51 billion, data from the PSE showed. There were 94 gainers against 74 decliners while 40 companies closed unchanged.

Actively traded stocks were led by SM Prime Holdings Inc., which sank 1.49 percent to P19.90 a share.

It was followed by BDO Unibank Inc., down 1.32 percent to P119.90, Metropolitan Bank and Trust, up 0.62 percent to P97.60, SM Investments Corp., up 0.06 percent to P888.50, and Universal Robina Corp., up 0.93 percent to P218.

Other actively traded companies were Ayala Corp., up 1.30 percent to P780; GT Capital Holdings Inc., up 0.83 percent to P1,331; Global Ferronickel Holdings, down 2.6 percent to P2.25; Bank of the Philippine Islands, down 0.69 percent to P101; and JG Summit Holdings Inc., up 3.39 percent to P71.70. Miguel R. Camus