Chile's peso firmer on global bourses; stocks down

By Aaron Nelsen

SANTIAGO, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Chile's peso strengthened against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, rising in line with global bourses and a weaker greenback, traders said.

The peso CLP=CL closed up 0.6 percent at 550.80/551.30 per dollar from Wednesday's close of 554.00/554.30. The peso has gained 16.38 percent this year after slumping 22.3 percent in 2008.

"Chile's peso was swept up by a wave of optimism on advancing foreign markets and a falling dollar, in other words an excellent backdrop for the peso," said a local trader.

In stocks, the IPSA .IPSA opened slightly lower, dragged down by banking stocks as investors remain cautious of the exchange's advance toward a lifetime high of 3,512.19.

The index was trading 0.3 percent lower to 3,420.04, and the all-market IGPA .IGPA was down 0.2 percent to 16,077.03.

"After the market closed yesterday we thought the market would rally, but so far there are very low volumes and no flows," said Allan Becker, a sales trader with CorpCapital. "We're a bit skeptical about what's going to happen. With the IPSA very close to its historical maximum probably the market does not want to test that level just yet."

Banco Santander Chile STG.SN, Chile's No. 1 private bank, was trading 1.4 percent lower to 28.66 pesos, feeling the affects of Santander's Brazilian unit lackluster IPO offering on Wednesday that raised $8.05 billion.

Soquimich SQM_pb.SN, Chile's leading exporter of fertilizer and the world's biggest producer of iodine and lithium, was trading 0.8 percent lower at 21,050 pesos.

Limiting declines was Chile-based Vapores VAP.SN, the region's leading shipper, trading nearly 2 percent higher to 427.89 pesos. (Editing by James Dalgleish)