Argentine stocks closed higher on Friday for the second straight session, buoyed by favourable US economic data and investors' continued interest in oil-related shares, traders said. The MerVal index of the 16 leading stocks gained 1.13 percent to end at 2,212.98 points while the market-wide index rose 0.76 percent.
The MerVal has gained 5.2 percent since the start of the month and is nearing its record close of 2,219.01 points, set on February 26. A report showed US core producer prices for March were flat, easing some concerns that the US Federal Reserve could raise interest rates - a move that would likely diminish interest in riskier emerging markets assets.
"The MerVal moved in line with the rest of the markets due to economic data out of the United States," said Mariano Tavelli, a trader at Tavelli y Compania brokerage.
Brazil's Bovespa stock index, Latin America's benchmark, rose 1.22 percent, while the Dow Jones industrial average ended up 0.47 percent. MerVal heavyweight Tenaris, a world leader in manufacturing seamless steel tubes for the oil and gas industry, saw its shares rise 1.1 percent to 73.85 pesos a share.
On the broad stock market, volume was a robust 93.1 million pesos ($29.8 million), compared with 75.2 million pesos on Thursday. Among active issues, 39 rose, 21 fell and 11 ended flat.
In the foreign exchange market, the peso closed slightly weaker against the dollar in a market dominated by the central bank's intervention. In informal trade between foreign exchange houses, the peso ended 0.08 percent weaker at 3.1200/3.1225 per dollar, and it slipped the same amount in formal interbank trade to close at 3.0875/3.0900 per dollar.
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