Market tumbles; ALI, ICTSI top gainers

STOCKS tumbled Friday, as investors contemplated interest rates going higher than expected for an extended period after central banks reaffirmed their commitment to bringing down inflation.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 70 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 6,496.50, as five of the six subsectors declined.

The broader all-share index also fell 30 points, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 3,400.13 on a value turnover of P7.3 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 99 to 65, while 40 issues were unchanged.

Two of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Ayala Land Inc. which rose 0.9 percent to P29.25 and International Container Terminal Services Inc. which added 0.5 percent to finish at P205.00.

Most Asian markets also traded lower. After a healthy rally in recent weeks fueled by signs that price rises were slowing, the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank hiked borrowing costs again and warning of more pain to come.

While inflation in most countries has started coming down from the levels seen earlier this year -- helped by a drop in energy costs—it remains at multidecade highs.

Observers have warned that economies could be heading for a period of stagflation where prices keep rising but growth stalls.

After a rough week for markets, anxiety was enhanced on Wednesday after the Fed hiked rates as expected but indicated they would likely have to go higher than had been forecast, ramping up fears of a recession.

That was followed by similar moves by the ECB on Thursday, with its boss Christine Lagarde warning: “We have more ground to cover, we have longer to go and we are in for a long game.”

The Bank of England also lifted rates and said more hikes were on the cards.

The decisions came as data also showed that almost a year of monetary tightening was hitting the economy more and more, with US retail sales dropping in November as American consumers -the key driver of growth—began to feel the pinch.

Recession on horizon?

“With central banks on both sides of the pond suggesting they have more work to tame inflation, hiking interest rates into a dimming macro environment will undoubtedly trigger a recession,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.