The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed nearly unchanged for the second straight session on Friday, 17 October 2025, as investors weighed mixed market signals ahead of the upcoming corporate earnings season.

The benchmark index slipped 0.07 percent to 6,089.53, while the broader All Shares index declined 0.19 percent to 3,665.08. Most sectoral indices closed lower, led by Property (-1.09%), Mining and Oil (-0.95%), and Industrial (-0.30%). Only Services (+0.37%) and Financials (+0.10%) managed gains.

Market activity remained subdued, with 1.33 billion shares traded valued at P4.42 billion. Decliners outnumbered gainers, 109 to 83, while 56 issues were unchanged.

“The markets anticipate the seasonal increase in remittances and conversion to pesos to finance Christmas holiday-related spending in the latter part of 4Q, as consistently seen for many years/decades,” said RCBC Chief Economist Michael Ricafort. “The market focus now is the 4Q when there would be seasonal increase in OFW remittances and exports to be converted to pesos especially towards the Christmas holiday season, a consistent pattern seen in recent years/decades, as a positive factor for the peso exchange rate vs. the US dollar as seen since the start of October 2025,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine peso closed slightly weaker at P58.16 to the US dollar from P58.12 previously. It opened at P58.02 and traded between P58.00 and P58.22, with daily volume slipping to $1.43 billion from $1.69 billion a day earlier. Ricafort also noted “some flight to quality/safety” due to the trade tensions between the US and China, as well as its ongoing government shutdown as factors in the modest decline.

The “corporate earnings season” refers to the period each quarter when a large number of publicly-listed companies release their financial results—typically one to two weeks after the end of a fiscal quarter. In the Philippines, this means listed firms will publish their Q3 2025 results in the coming weeks, offering investors a clearer view of corporate performance ahead of major IPOs and guiding equity market sentiment.