Market sinks as business sentiment weakens

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

December 20, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The local stock market showed no signs of holiday cheer as it closed the week in negative territory, plummeting below the 6,000 level anew.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index nosedived by 1.83 percent or 110.61 points, settling at 5,920.87.

The broader All Shares index also plunged by 1.43 percent or 49.24 points to end yesterday’s session at 3.397.72.

Philstocks Financial research manager Japhet Tantiangco said  the local market declined as investors took profits amid weak confidence in the local economy’s growth outlook.

“This comes as the country’s lingering corruption issues and headwinds offshore continue to cloud the local economy’s prospects,” Tantiangco said.

“Investors also digested the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ latest expectations surveys where both businesses and consumers showed less optimism for both the next quarter and next 12 months,” he said.

All sectors were down, with five of the six gauges losing by more than one percent each. Services took the biggest hit with a 3.25-percent drop.

Total turnover value capped off the week at P18.72 billion.

Decliners battered advancers, 110 to 65, while 75 issues did not change hands.

ICTSI emerged as the session’s top traded stock, sliding by 4.60 percent to P549.50 per share, followed by Meralco, which declined by 2.87 percent to P575, and SM Investments, which remained unchanged at P700.

DigiPlus was the top index gainer, posting a 7.89-percent jump.