PSEi ends lower, tracks global markets

Philippine share prices edged lower on Thursday, tracking the losses posted by global markets. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index slipped 4.14 points or 0.10 percent to 4,241.1 while the all shares dipped 9.25 points or 0.31 percent to 2,961.97. Losers dominated gainers, 78 to 56, while 49 stocks closed unchanged. Save for Mining & Oil, which gained 3.17 percent, all five sectoral indices ended in the red. Volume traded reached 3.90 billion shares valued at about P4.57 billion shares. Investors remained anxious over Greek debt woes as Athens still has yet to secure its parliament's nod on its new austerity measures to avoid a potential default, a dealer said. "...attention [is] shifting back to the fate of an austerity measures bill that may be a key to unlock a second European Union-International Monetary Fund bail-out," said trader Justino Calaycay Jr. of Accord Capital Equities in a market note. Overnight Wednesday, Wall Street retreated. In Asia, most markets were down. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia were trading at a loss, while New Zealand and Singapore were trading higher. In the local bourse, however, all five most active stocks for the day posted gains. Atlas Consolidated Mining & Development Corp., the day's top traded, jumped P1.02 or 5.37 percent to P20. Holding firm SM Investments Corp. climbed P1 or 0.19 percent to P539. Philex Mining Corp., the country's largest miner, rose P1.30 or 6.50 percent to P21.30. Semirara Mining Corp. surged P4 or 1.90 percent to P214. Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. added P0.01 or 1.10 percent at P0.92. -- OMG, GMA News