MARKET DOWN 0.1%; SUBSECTORS SHOW MIXED RESULTS

@MiguelrcamusiNQ Philippine stocks eased lower on a relatively uneventful Thursday, while stocks across the region ended mixed ahead of a possible trade agreement between the United States and China.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index was down 0.1 percent, or 7.94 points, to 7,931.30 while the broader all-shares index was flat, gaining 0.06 points to 4,857.

A total of 804.1 million shares valued at almost P7 bil- lion changed hands during the session. There were 106 gainers against 90 decliners while 56 companies closed unchanged.

Even subsectors showed mixed results on Thursday. Services and industrials gained 0.56 percent and 0.49 percent, respectively, as did mining and oil, which rose 0.4 percent. Financials and holding firms dropped 0.32 percent and 0.33 percent, respectively, while property stocks also declined by 0.21 percent.

Property giant Ayala Land Inc. was the most actively traded yesterday as it gained 0.23 percent to P44 a share.

It was followed by International Container Terminal Services, unchanged at P119 a share; Jollibee Foods Corp., down 1.03 percent to P307.20; BDO Unibank Inc., down 0.39 percent to P129, and SM Prime Holdings, down 1.03 percent to P38.50 a share.

Other actively traded stocks were Puregold Price Club Inc., up 1.46 percent to P48.70; Ayala Corp., up 0.64 percent to P950; Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., up 0.14 percent to P7.29; PLDT Inc., up 0.93 percent to P1,080 and SM Investments Corp., down 0.82 percent to P972 per share.