Stocks to move in tight range

Narrow trading is anticipated this week as investors remain cautious, awaiting fresh leads and positive catalysts. The Philippine Stock Exchange index closed in the red last Friday at 5,761.95, yet managed to grow by 1.4 percent over the past week. Wendy Estacio-Cruz, head of research at Unicapital Securities, pointed out that market sentiment improved due to some US mid-term election results, which helped overshadow the country's persistent inflation from October.

This week, investors are watching to see whether lower oil prices and a stronger peso can be maintained, as well as upcoming corporate earnings results. These factors could offer support to the market, although high inflation continues to raise concerns about further tightening by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

First Metro Investment Corp.'s head of research, Cristina Ulang, anticipates the market to be cautious of Wall Street's artificial intelligence selloff and potential Asian contagion risks. She predicts traders will capitalize on early gains within a narrow range of 5,700 to 5,800.

First Metro Securities also noted that investors will continue monitoring geopolitical developments in the Middle East, as oil price fluctuations play a crucial role in global inflation and market sentiment. Additionally, investors will closely follow the release of the country's third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data. Based on the morning print, "any strength is expected to be used to raise cash, as last week's rally was narrow and led by a few banks."

Ulang stated that support is at 5,700, with a GDP miss potentially testing levels between 5,500 and 5,600. If this occurs, the market would likely remain defensive through the December 17th Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas meeting.