Manila, March 1, 2026, 16:51 PHT — Market has wrapped for the day.
Philippine stocks started the week as investors zeroed in on February inflation numbers. On Friday, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed at 6,611.24, down 14.22 points or 0.21%. 1
Inflation remains in the driver’s seat for interest rate moves, dictating the cost of capital for everyone from lenders to real estate firms to everyday consumers. On Feb. 19, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas lowered its benchmark rate to 4.25%, making it clear it’s watching the numbers closely. Investors are now keyed up for the next CPI reading. 2
The central bank expects inflation in February to land between 2.3% and 3.1%, pointing to costlier rice and fish, pricier domestic fuel, and steeper electricity charges in Meralco’s service areas as the main trouble spots. The Philippine Statistics Authority plans to release the official inflation print for February on March 5. 3
The PSEi booked a 2.26% weekly gain through Feb. 27 as foreign investors posted roughly 5.07 billion pesos in net purchases, according to exchange data. Services led the advance, with mining & oil following. Financials trailed behind. Total market value traded approached 51.86 billion pesos, which includes around 10.21 billion pesos worth of block trades and odd-lot activity. 4
Offshore flows have reacted to currency moves. The BSP’s daily reference on Feb. 27 set the peso at 57.554 per dollar. 5
SM Investments posted a 10% gain in consolidated net income for 2025, coming in at 90.5 billion pesos, while revenues moved up to 681.7 billion pesos. “Our strong fourth quarter performance reinforced our full year results,” president and CEO Frederic C. DyBuncio said in the statement. 6
BDO Unibank reported net income of 87.2 billion pesos for 2025, retaining its status as the country’s largest bank by assets. Gross customer loans touched 3.7 trillion pesos, while deposits rose 10%. Management highlighted “market leadership and robust business franchise” as central to its longer-term growth strategy. The board cleared a regular cash dividend of 1.10 peso per share for the first quarter of 2026, with payment scheduled for March 27 to shareholders on record as of March 13. 7
Ayala Land sold 88 million shares of AREIT in a block sale, pricing the lot at 42 pesos each and taking in about 3.7 billion pesos before expenses. Context.ph first spotted the deal, which is scheduled to settle March 3. The company says it plans to submit a reinvestment plan for the proceeds. 8
Heading into the coming sessions, traders are balancing CPI expectations with the constant cycle of annual results and dividend news. Liquidity and foreign flows still set the pace. Non-regular trades spiked turnover last week; if that fades, price swings could sharpen quickly.
Here’s the key risk: inflation surprises to the upside, the peso slips, and suddenly the path for rate cuts looks a lot less clear. Add in headwinds from abroad— the dollar’s set for its first monthly rise since October, and oil’s jumped on the back of supply fears, both stoking fresh inflation anxiety at home. 9
The March 5 inflation report lands Thursday—a critical data point. Investors are tracking the aftermath of Ayala Land’s AREIT block sale settlement from March 3, while still digesting recent earnings and dividend news and any ripples left behind.
