The Philippine main share index rallied to an all-time closing high for a second straight session on Monday while most other Southeast Asian stocks ended in the positive territory, as market players selectively bought shares in blue-chip firms in a reporting season. Broad buying interest was generally weak as Asia remained wary of global growth prospects.
The Philippine index jumped 2.4 percent, its biggest in almost a month, to 7,120.48, above Friday's record of 6,957.10. BDO Unibank Inc extended its gain for a second session, up 2.6 percent after strong quarterly results. Bangkok's SET index finished up 0.9 percent at a three-week high of 1,559.10, helped by steady gains among banking shares which reported better-than-expected first-quarter results. The region's weak spot Vietnam fell 1 percent to a six-week low of 468.43, extending last week's 4.3 percent drop, amid concerns about slowing consumer demand and cash flow at property firms.