Colombian stock markets closed lower on Friday as sectoral declines in Financials, Investment and Public Services weighed on the benchmark. The COLCAP index declined 2.46% at the close, marking a fresh one-month low for the gauge.
On a company level, Bolsa De Valores De Colombia (BVC) led the gainers on the COLCAP, finishing up 2.17% - an increase of 340.00 points - to close at 16,000.00. Two other notable names finished unchanged: Grupo Nutresa SA (NCH) closed flat at 306,600.00, showing a 0.00% move, and Cementos Argos Pf (CCB_p) also ended the session unchanged at 13,500.00.
Declines were concentrated among several larger constituents. Grupo Cibest SA (CIBEST) registered the steepest drop among those listed, sliding 7.55% - a loss of 6,700.00 points - to finish at 82,000.00. Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana SA (SIS) fell 7.10%, down 4,460.00 points to 58,320.00, while Corporacion Financiera Colombiana SA (CFV) dropped 6.13% - a loss of 1,140.00 points - to close at 17,460.00. Overall, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Colombia Stock Exchange by a ratio of 1 to 0.
Commodities trading during the session showed mixed results. US Coffee C for May delivery declined 0.80% - down 2.25 - to $280.05. US cocoa for May delivery posted a larger move to the downside, falling 5.39% - a drop of 165.00 - to $2,898.00. By contrast, the April Gold Futures contract rose 1.64%, gaining 85.36 to trade at $5,279.56 per troy ounce.
Currency markets displayed modest adjustments: the USD/COP exchange rate retreated 0.15% to 3,761.68, while BRL/COP inched higher by 0.11% to 732.70. The US Dollar Index Futures also declined, falling 0.12% to 97.63.
Market context note: The session's performance was driven by losses concentrated in Financials, Investment and Public Services stocks, while select exchange-related and consumer-related names either advanced or held steady. Movements in commodity contracts and FX pairs accompanied the local equity weakness.