Mexican equities closed modestly higher on Thursday, with sector strength concentrated in Industrials, Consumer Goods & Services and Consumer Staples helping push the main index into positive territory.
Market close - The S&P/BMV IPC advanced 0.24% by the end of trading.
Top performers
- Industrias Penoles Sab De CV (BMV:PEOLES) led the session, rising 4.05% or 39.78 points to finish at 1,022.00.
- Genomma Lab Internacional SAB De CV (BMV:LABB) added 3.04% or 0.51 points to close at 17.27.
- Grupo Carso, S.A.B. De C.V. (BMV:GCARSOA1) gained 2.84% or 3.87 points to end the day at 140.00.
Largest decliners
- Cemex SAB de CV (BMV:CEMEXCPO) was the biggest laggard, falling 2.74% or 0.64 points to close at 22.75.
- Fomento Economico Mexicano UBD (BMV:FEMSAUBD) slipped 1.95% or 4.12 points to finish at 206.63.
- Kimberly - Clark De Mexico A (BMV:KIMBERA) declined 1.91% or 0.76 points to end at 39.13.
On the Mexico Stock Exchange, declining issues outpaced advancing ones by 154 to 111, with 8 stocks unchanged at the close.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery inched up 0.04% or 1.70 to trade at $4,696.00 a troy ounce. Crude oil for June delivery rose 2.71% or 2.58 to $97.66 a barrel, while the July Brent contract increased 0.15% or 0.16 to $103.46 a barrel.
On the foreign exchange front, the Mexican peso was little changed against major currencies: USD/MXN was up 0.10% at 17.32, and EUR/MXN rose 0.13% to 20.31.
Dollar gauge - The US Dollar Index Futures traded higher by 0.28% at 98.15 by the end of the session.
Overall, the trading day closed with a modest gain for Mexico's benchmark amid pockets of strength among industrial and consumer-related stocks, while certain large-cap names in construction, beverages and consumer goods recorded declines. Broader market participation was uneven as decliners outnumbered advancers.