Chilean stocks were higher on Friday, boosted by shares of top lithium and iodine producer Soquimich (SQM) and retailer Cencosud, while the peso closed slightly firmer, traders said. Chile's blue chip IPSA stock index was trading 0.43 percent higher at 3,245.60 while the all-market IGPA rose 0.37 percent to 15,334.51. Chile, the world's top copper producer, has seen a string of sour economic figures this year as the world-wide economic slump hits demand for its key exports.
Shares of SQM, the country's leading exporter of fertiliser, rose 1.53 percent to 19,900 pesos per share. While Cencosud's shares jumped 2.51 percent to 1,485 pesos. The peso ended at 551.50/551.80 per US dollar, 0.15 percent up from Thursday's 552.30/552.80 close. Chile's currency has risen 16.23 percent against the dollar so far this year after slumping 22.3 percent in 2008.