Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said the decision to raise the policy rate to five percent on Thursday, Aug. 27, “wasn’t so hard,” while expressing hope that the latest increase would be the last of the current tightening cycle. Remolona told a press briefing...
The Philippine economy is headed for a “slow and bumpy” recovery, with growth likely to fall below the government’s target this year after the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal and the war in the Middle East dragged economic expansion to a post-pandemic low, according to...
The Philippine economy could weaken further in 2026 as the prolonged war in the Middle East, governance concerns, and El Niño threaten growth while elevated inflation and borrowing costs cloud the outlook, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) warned. “The country’s...
The Philippines must push through political and economic reforms in the final two years of the Marcos Jr. administration to rebuild confidence and strengthen the economy’s growth potential, according to the country’s chief economist. During the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC)...
The Philippines remains far from stagflation despite high inflation and sluggish economic growth, members of the Marcos Jr. administration’s economic team said, pushing back against Monetary Board Member (MBM) Benjamin E. Diokno’s characterization of the current situation as “stagflation...
Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to deliver another interest rate hike at its upcoming Aug. 27 policy meeting, despite slowing headline inflation and underperforming economic growth. In a commentary, Deutsche Bank projected a quarter-point increase this...
Pressure on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise its benchmark interest rate has eased after economic growth slowed to a post-pandemic low in the second quarter of the year, according to the central bank officials. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the central bank’s...
The Philippines faces difficulty bringing inflation back within target as a strengthening El Niño threatens to damage crops and push food prices higher, with the country already posting the highest inflation rate in the region, according to Moody’s Analytics. In an Aug. 7 report, Moody’s...
The Philippine economy faces an uphill battle in the second half of 2026 after posting its weakest post-pandemic growth, with private sector economists warning that faster infrastructure spending, easing inflation, and stronger investor confidence will determine whether the country can meet the...
Malacañang expects the Philippine economy to regain momentum in the second half of the year after growth slowed to 2.3 percent in the second quarter, with the government moving to accelerate spending and infrastructure projects. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro...
Amid both external and domestic challenges, the Philippines’ economic growth weakened further to a new post-pandemic low of 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday, Aug. 7. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed from 2.8 percent...
Despite lingering upside risks to inflation, China Banking Corp. (Chinabank) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to conclude its rate-hiking cycle this August, arguing that second-round inflation effects have largely dissipated. The projection follows a third consecutive month of...
