Samarkand, UZBEKISTAN — Central bank and finance chiefs from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, and South Korea are bracing for slower economic growth and higher inflation risks amid a prolonged war in the Middle East. In a joint statement on Sunday, May 3,...
Signs of stagflation are surfacing in the Philippine economy as it enters the second quarter of 2026, with private sector economists warning of a precarious mix of stalled growth and surging consumer prices. The country’s economic output likely posted only a tepid recovery from the previous...
The peso is at risk of crumbling to a record low of ₱63 against the United States (US) dollar if a protracted Middle East conflict drives oil prices higher and forces Washington to adopt a more hawkish policy stance. Estimates by the Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. show that in a risk...
High food prices in the Philippines are likely to persist over the long term unless the government accelerates the adoption of technologies that reduce dependence on foreign inputs and safeguard local production, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said. In its latest...
Senator Imee Marcos has called on the government to aggressively pursue direct government-to-government (G2G) oil procurement to cushion the impact of the ongoing global oil crisis. Marcos pointed this out as she questioned the government’s inability to pursue a G2G deal with Russia. The...
The Department of Migrant Workers said on Saturday, May 2, that around 1,300 Filipino seafarers have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz while 14 others are attempting to traverse the waterway amid the ongoing ceasefire in the Middle East crisis. "Sa Strait of Hormuz naman, ang minamanmanan natin...
Businesses have turned more pessimistic about the global economic outlook amid the ongoing United States (US)/Israel war with Iran, according to think tank Oxford Economics. In an April 30 report, Oxford Economics head of macro scenarios Jamie Thompson said the conflict in the Middle East is...
Malacañang said the Philippine peso breaching another record low value against US dollar was due to "unusually strong" dollar and the ongoing Middle East crisis. In a Palace briefing on Thursday, April 30, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary said that the weakening of the peso...
The Philippines and its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are moving to fortify regional trade pacts and energy security frameworks as escalating Middle East tensions threaten to destabilize global supply chains. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the economic...
United Kingdom (UK)-based think tank Pantheon Macroeconomics said the Philippine economy remains too fragile to quickly pass through surging energy prices into demand-side pressures, suggesting that the latest interest rate hike is likely a one-off move. As such, the benchmark rate at 4.5 percent...
The World Bank Group (WBG) has warned that the war in the Middle East is set to trigger the biggest energy price surge in four years, fueling inflation, slowing economic growth, and worsening food insecurity across developing economies. In an April 28 statement, the Washington-based multilateral...
Until a clearer signal emerges from the temporary military truce between the United States (US) and Iran, the Philippine peso stands to sustain additional bruises from the geopolitical tensions that have already battered it, according to Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC)....
