Demand for the safe-haven United States (US) dollar surged amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty, sending the Philippine peso tumbling to a fresh historic low of ₱62.265 on Friday, Aug. 28, from the previous record of ₱61.888 just a day ago. The local currency slid to an intraday low of...
Local markets reacted quickly to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) higher inflation assumption for 2027 due to El Niño risks, pushing the Philippine peso to a historic low of ₱61.888 on Thursday, Aug. 27. The record low extended the peso’s recent weakness, with the local currency...
The peso sank to a fresh record low against the United States (US) dollar on Friday, weighed down by escalating import burdens, global energy cost pressures, and persistent demand for foreign currency. The local currency closed at ₱61.847 per US dollar on July 24, according to official data from...
Philippine equities and the local currency rallied sharply on Monday, June 15, as global markets reacted to the breakthrough diplomatic agreement between the United States (US) and Iran. The surprise interim deal, which includes plans to lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and restore...
The inflation-targeting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to continue raising interest rates to contain surging inflation despite the risk of slower economic growth. In a May 22 report, Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippines is facing one of the most severe...
The World Bank warned that the Philippines’ broad-based economic slowdown in the first quarter of 2026 could spill over into weaker household incomes and higher food prices as the country grapples with an escalating energy price shock triggered by tensions in the Middle East. In its latest...
De La Salle University (DLSU) economists slashed their 2026 Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 3.11 percent from 3.79 percent previously, warning that the economy is facing mounting pressure from the Middle East conflict, elevated inflation, and lingering domestic...
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 peso pierced the ₱61:$1 level on Tuesday, April 28, as the oil-vulnerable local currency continued to weaken amid uncertainties wrought by the prolonged war in the Middle East. As of 1:52 p.m., the peso hit an intraday low of ₱61.08 against the United States (US) dollar after opening...
Philippine economic growth in 2026 would have hit the government’s downgraded target range had the war in the Middle East been short-lived, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). However, the Bangkok-headquartered UNESCAP said a...
The ceasefire-driven rally of Asian currencies, including the Philippine peso, may be short-lived as global oil risks linger, according to Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (OCBC). In an April 9 report, OCBC Group Research foreign exchange (FX) strategists Sim Moh Siong and...
If the war in the Middle East prolongs and global oil prices continue to skyrocket, the Philippine peso could breach the ₱61:$1 level in the second quarter of 2026 and even hit as low as ₱62 to ₱64 against the United States (US) dollar. “Our base case forecasts for the US dollar-Philippine...