(Updates with close)

By Alexia Vlahos

SANTIAGO, June 18 (Reuters) - Chile's leading share index closed firmer on Thursday, rising with commodity stocks a day after its biggest one-day percentage fall since December, while the peso was near a 9-month high, traders said.

The blue-chip IPSA index .IPSA closed 0.41 percent firmer at 3,118.99 points, preliminary closing data showed, while the all-market IGPA index .IGPA rose 0.36 percent to 14,916.96 points.

"The rise in (steelmaker) CAP influenced the market today, as well as (industrial conglomerate) Copec and (fertilizer and lithium producer) Soquimich -- basically commodities," said Felipe Cruz, a trader at the CorpCapital brokerage.

"These shares had been hard-hit in recent days and today they recovered a bit, though I still think the market could correct lower."

The IPSA, which is now up 31.2 percent year-to-date, rose around 16 percent in May, when it posted its biggest gain in a single month since January 1994.

Last week the Chilean bourse hit its highest levels since December 2007.

Shares in Steelmaker CAP CAP.SN rose 2.51 percent to 13,468 pesos after sinking more than 5 percent the day before.