MANILA, Philippines — Philippine shares slipped on Monday as investors booked gains ahead of key economic data releases, while the peso strengthened against the US dollar.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) declined by 0.68 percent to close at 6,364.94, while the broader All Shares index shed 0.27 percent to 3,781.67.

“The local bourse opened higher on quarter-end window dressing but closed in the red as investors booked gains ahead of key data releases,” said Luis Limlingan, head of sales at Regina Capital Development Corp.

Limlingan noted that market focus is on the June inflation report due Friday, as well as Tuesday’s PMI and business confidence readings. Expectations of easing inflation could fuel hopes of a potential rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Most sectoral indices ended in the red, except for Property, which rose by 2.17 percent. Despite the decline, gainers outpaced losers, 108 to 82.

Meanwhile, the peso closed stronger at ₱56.33 against the dollar, improving from Friday’s close of ₱56.57. It opened at ₱56.54 and traded between ₱56.25 and ₱56.54, with a weighted average of ₱56.38.

Trading volume climbed to USD1.82 billion, up from USD1.57 billion in the previous session.