Share prices close flat; ICTSI, Jollibee advance

STOCKS closed virtually flat Monday but sentiment continues to be clouded by fears that central bank moves to rein in soaring inflation will induce a recession.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added just 2.38 points, or 0.04 percent, to 6,333.94 on a value turnover of P3.6 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 108 to 81, with 52 issues unchanged.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. of the tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., the biggest port operator, climbed 2.3 percent to P199.40, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest fast-food chain, rose 2.1 percent to P196.

Globe Telecom Inc. of the Ayala Group, the second-biggest telecom company, however, sank 5.8 percent to P2,092, while fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. fell 4.2 percent to P19.30.

The rest of Asian markets were mixed Monday having pared earlier losses.

The tepid performances come after a sell-off last week fueled by the Federal Reserve’s sharp interest rate hike—the biggest in nearly 30 years—and a warning of more to come, while increases in Britain and Switzerland added to the gloom.

And while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw gains on Friday, there is a sense that indexes still have some way down to go before they find a bottom, with economic data suggesting economies are beginning to feel the pinch.

Cleveland Fed chief Loretta Mester added to the worry, saying that the risk of a recession in the United States was increasing and it would take several years to bring inflation down from fourdecade highs to the bank’s two percent target.

She told CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday that while she was not predicting a contraction, the Fed’s decision not to act sooner to fight rising prices was hurting the economy.