Stocks fall 0.28%

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index was down 0.28 percent, or 22.06 points, to 7,930.75 while the broader all shares index slipped by 0.21 percent, or 10.08 points, 4,697.50.

Elsewhere in the region, stocks retreated as investors weighed the likelihood of an interest rate increase by the powerful United States Federal Reserve, which could move liquidity away from risky assets like stocks.

Subsectors ended mixed Friday. Gainers were mining and oil, up 2 percent, and services, up 0.01 percent. Losers were led by property stocks, which sank 0.89 percent. This was followed by holding firms, which went down 0.27 percent.

A total of 935.8 million shares valued at P8.67 billion changed hands Friday, data from the PSE showed. A total of 107 firms declined, against 92 gainers and 45 companies that closed unchanged.

Bank of the Philippine Islands was the most actively traded as it rose 0.29 percent to P105 per share.

This was followed by International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), down 1.71 percent to P80.60; Universal Robina Corp., up 0.79 percent to P191.50; SM Prime Holdings Inc., down 2.22 percent to P28.65, and PLDT Inc., up 0.83 percent to P1,824 per share. Miguel R. Camus