Chilean stocks fell in active trading on Friday as the last of third-quarter financial earnings reports failed to impress, while the peso firmed.
The IPSA blue chip index slid 0.79 percent to 2,056.94 points after falling 1.6 percent earlier in the session, while the broader IGPA index fell 0.79 percent at 9,731.26, preliminary closing figures showed.
"It's been a very interesting session. Results of the big companies started coming in yesterday and weren't as good as expected," said Andre Bergoeing, an analyst with the Larrain Vial brokerage.
Regional power generator and distributor Enersis closed 0.14 percent down, at 117.50 per share. Earlier in the session its stock fell as much as 5.5 percent.
Enersis reported a rise in net profit of 2.3 percent yesterday for the first nine months of the year, compared with the same period last year.
Leading Chilean telephone company CTC Chile fell 1.48 percent to 1,330 pesos a share. The company issued its quarterly report on Friday and analysts said earnings were harmed by competitive pressures in its traditional long-distance and local telephone service.
The Santiago stock exchange said that as of Monday, October 31, it will close at 5:30 pm (2230 GMT) instead of 4:30 pm. The 9:30 am (1330 GMT) opening hour will remain the same.
Chilean markets will be closed on Tuesday, November 1 for the All Saints holiday.
On the foreign exchange market the Chilean peso closed at 544.00/544.50 per dollar, strengthening 0.46 percent compared to Thursday's close at 546.50/547.00.
Analysts said the peso got a bounce out of the upcoming free trade agreement Chile will be signing with China, which is already Chile's most important copper client.
"We should have a lot of new export opportunities with the opening of that tremendous market," said Carlos Serrano, an analyst with Finanzas Today Consultores.