PSEi closes nearly flat at 7,022 points; investors await monetary policy easing

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed nearly flat on Friday, ending at 7,022 points after touching the 7,100 level earlier in the week.

Investors remained cautiously optimistic about potential monetary policy easing by both the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Federal Reserve, but this optimism was tempered by market-on-close selling near the end of trading.

The All Shares index declined slightly by 0.08 percent to 3,788.63 points, with sectors like Industrial and Holding Firms showing gains while Financials and Property declined.

Decliners outnumbered advancers on Friday, with 96 stocks falling compared to 88 that rose, and 62 remaining unchanged.

Value turnover decreased to P10.4 billion from the previous week's P7.26 billion, reflecting a drop in trading activity.