PSE Index Rises on Bargain Hunting but Fails to Hold Above 5,700

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) index rose on Wednesday as investors went bargain hunting following recent market losses, but the benchmark failed to sustain its move above the 5,700-point level.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Index, November 4, 2026

The PSE index briefly climbed to 5,701.29 before closing at 5,694.92, up 70.75 points, or 1.26%. The peso was quoted at ₱63.49 against the US dollar.

The market's rebound came despite continuing concerns over the peso, the country's dependence on imports, weak foreign direct investment (FDI) and the structural trade deficit.

These factors, along with concerns about the potential impact of efforts to support the currency on the country's foreign reserves, continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Investors concentrated on blue-chip stocks, lifting the financial sector by 3.82%, services by 1.79%, mining and oil by 0.91%, and industrial stocks by 0.33%.

Holding firms and property stocks, however, declined by 1.07% and 0.25%, respectively.

Among the major gainers, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) surged 7.93% to ₱100, while Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) advanced 4.39% to ₱63.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), a market favorite, gained 2.28% to ₱830 in volatile trading. The stock reached an intraday high of ₱833 and a low of ₱807.50.

Second-liners also posted gains, with Pacifica Holdings emerging as the biggest gainer, climbing 13.13% to ₱2.24. Other advancers included Ionics and Integrated Micro-Electronics.

Market bellwethers SM Investments Corp. and DigiPlus Interactive Corp., meanwhile, ended lower.

Value turnover reached approximately ₱6.95 billion, with ICTSI accounting for ₱1.89 billion.

Foreign transactions were reported at approximately ₱8.9 billion, with net foreign buying reported at ₱483 million. Market breadth remained negative, with 97 decliners against 94 advancers, while 61 stocks ended unchanged.