M’sia, S’pore stocks mark best week in a decade on recovery hopes
Most Southeast Asian stock markets ended higher on Friday, booking strong weekly gains, as easing coronavirus restrictions and a clutch of stimulus support fed hopes for an economic recovery.
Stocks in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines marked their best week in more than a decade, while the Thai bourse posted its biggest weekly gain since April this year.
Most Southeast Asian stock markets ended higher on Friday, booking strong weekly gains, as easing coronavirus restrictions and a clutch of stimulus support fed hopes for an economic recovery.
Stocks in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines marked their best week in more than a decade, while the Thai bourse posted its biggest weekly gain since April this year.
Over the week, regional governments reopened their coronavirus-stricken economies by easing mobility curbs, with multi-billion dollar stimulus packages in Indonesia and Philippines also boosting sentiment.
Leading the gains on Friday, Singapore shares jumped 1.6% as financial and industrial sectors advanced. Conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings firmed 4.7%, while Singapore Telecommunications Ltd strengthened 2%.
The city-state's benchmark gained nearly 10% over the week, its biggest weekly jump since May 2009.
Thai stocks rose 1.8% on Friday and nearly 7% this week, as the heavyweight energy sector gained on the back of higher oil prices.
Philippine shares lost 0.8% on Friday, ending their seven-session winning run. They added 11% this week.
Ruben Carlo Asuncion, chief economist at UnionBank of the Philippines, said investors were booking profits after a rally that saw index add nearly 20% in seven days.
The index has gained about 60% since it hit a near decade low in March.
Indonesian shares posted a weekly rise of 4.1%, boosted by fiscal measures announced by the government earlier in the week.
Malaysia's benchmark index edged lower on Friday, snapping a seven-day winning streak. The index, however, firmed 5.6% over the week, its biggest weekly gain since March 2008.
- Reuters


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