Chile stocks end mixed

25 Jul, 2004

Chilean stocks ended mixed on Friday as weak retail sales data tempered gains in the country's top electrical generator Endesa after posting strong first-half earnings, analysts said.
The IPSA blue-chip index eased 0.18 percent to 1,497.33 points while the broader IGPA index edged up 0.16 percent to 7,771.05 points, according to preliminary closing figures.
Endesa shares jumped 2.1 percent to 270 pesos, an 11-week high, after reporting a 31.6 percent drop in its first-half net profit but pre-tax earnings were higher than a year ago, beating analysts' forecasts.
Endesa parent company Enersis slipped 0.68 percent to 74.50 pesos.
Retailers Cencosud and Almacenes Paris both fell after a report showing retail sales posted their weakest growth so far this year in June, raising concerns that Chile's high unemployment despite an economic recovery is making consumers reluctant to spend. Cencosud fell 0.61 percent to 819 pesos and Almacenes Paris sank 1.09 percent to 455 pesos.
In the foreign exchange market, the peso currency fell for the fourth straight session on Friday on against the US dollar, mirroring the dollar's rise against the euro.

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