Chile's stocks rose for a second day Friday but volume was low as most investors sat out the session, waiting for more news on company earnings. The IPSA index of 40 leading companies gained 0.56 percent to 1,815.54 points while the broader IGPA index climbed 0.26 percent at 8,880.56, according to preliminary closing figures. Supermarket rivals D&S and Cencosud have held the market's attention since early January, when Cencosud announced plans to merge with department store chain Almacenes Paris.
D&S added 1.48 percent to 171 pesos on Friday while Cencosud finished unchanged at 930 pesos per share.
On the foreign exchange market the peso firmed slightly against the dollar in a volatile trading session.
"The rise the dollar showed against global currencies, most of all against the euro, was reflect for a while in the local market. But that was rapidly counteracted by the drop that it showed against regional currencies, like the Brazilian real," said Eugenio Garay, foreign exchange manager at Inversiones J.C. The peso closed at 576.00/576.50 per dollar, up 0.09 percent compared with Thursday's close of 576.50/577.00.