The peso shed 26 centavos against the United States (US) dollar on Thursday, May 14, closing at a fresh record low of ₱61.64 from ₱61.38 last Wednesday, May 13. According to the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the local currency hit an intraday low of ₱61.66 and a high of...
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Inflation rates in Pangasinan and La Union accelerated sharply in April, rising to 7.4 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively, from 3.7 percent and 4.1 percent in March, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Ilocos Regional Office. During a forum on...
Even as the Philippines is seen posting its weakest post-global financial crisis (GFC) growth, think tank Oxford Economics still stands firm on its assumption that local monetary authorities will emerge among the “active hawks” on monetary policy, with jumbo rate hikes looming. Louise Loo, Asia...
Four Asian economies—India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam—are expected to outpace Philippine economic growth this year, as the country’s expansion remains muted amid pressures from overheating inflation, rising unemployment, and slowing remittances. American financial giant Goldman Sachs...
Efforts to tame surging consumer prices may come at a steep cost to the Philippine economy, placing the economic team and monetary authorities in the difficult position of containing inflation while grappling with mounting growth pressures. British banking giant Barclays has turned more bearish on...
The research arm of Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank sees a “ super ” El Niño developing from this month until July, threatening to further accelerate the surge in Philippine consumer prices already aggravated by the Middle East war. Deutsche Bank Research hiked its inflation assumption for...
Samarkand, UZBEKISTAN — Amid comparisons by some local firms claiming that the ongoing oil crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East is hurting their business operations more severely than the Covid-19 pandemic, economists from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the broader...
British banking giant HSBC is now leaning toward back-to-back jumbo interest rate hikes that could lift policy rates to six percent, as signs of de-escalation in Middle East tensions remain muted—potentially forcing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to add another layer to its...
An off-cycle policy meeting by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) could signal to investors that the central bank is falling behind the inflation curve, potentially triggering further market volatility, according to a former senior policymaker. Diwa Guinigundo, a former BSP deputy governor who...
Vice President Sara Duterte questioned why President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won the 2022 elections, accusing him of “lying” to Filipinos about his capabilities and plans for the country amid what she described as worsening economic conditions under the current administration. Speaking before...
Samarkand, UZBEKISTAN — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said central banks should be cautious about raising interest rates too quickly in response to supply shock-driven inflation, even as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is now widely expected to tighten monetary policy further after April...
Local monetary authorities face the growing challenge to stabilize surging consumer prices as the initial pass-through of global oil inflation threatens to push the headline rate into double digits by the fourth quarter of the year. The mounting risk that inflation expectations could become...