Renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are seen aggravating oil price- and supply-driven inflation pressures in the Philippines stemming from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “While the direct effect of renewed strikes on shipping in the Red Sea on aggregate world trade is likely to be limited,...
Multilateral lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank Group (WBG) are moving to provide immediate financing and coordinated support to countries reeling from the economic fallout of the Middle East war. In a statement on...
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep key interest rates unchanged this year, despite rising risks to growth and inflation from the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Amid persistent uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, we expect...
The research arm of Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank believes the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) could eventually hike the 4.25-percent key interest rate over upcoming policy meetings, but the cycle could end after a maximum of three hikes as the Philippines still grows below potential. “Prices...
Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that had pushed fuel prices, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG), to record highs, small eateries in Manila continue to grapple with the volatile economic situation, forcing them to turn to traditional and often cheaper alternatives just to keep...
While global oil shocks have yet to fully affect the Philippine economy since the flare-up of United States (US)-Iran military hostilities a month ago, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) minimum inflation assumption is that March accelerated at the fastest pace in at least 19 months. Seen as...
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secured a commitment from the country’s largest manufacturers and retailers to freeze prices on essential goods through mid-April to insulate households from the inflationary fallout of escalating tensions in the Middle East. In a statement late...
Despite the scorching heat, several groups trooped to Mendiola in Manila on Friday, March 27, to call on the national government to immediately act on various social and economic issues arising from the Middle East war. Around 800 protesters belonging to Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at...
Residential property prices posted their slowest inflation rate in nearly seven years, or since before the Covid-19 pandemic, as Filipinos stepped on the brakes on borrowing from banks to purchase housing amid tighter lending standards. “Residential property prices in the Philippines continued to...
The global oil shock triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East is hitting the Philippines’ poorest households the hardest, as surging fuel costs spill over into food prices and erode purchasing power. A March 26 position paper by state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for...
Foreign lenders are backing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) increasingly hawkish stance as the local economy grapples with war-driven oil price volatility and supply disruptions. Nomura Holdings Inc., a Japanese investment and brokerage giant, raised its expectations for “significant”...
While Philippine monetary authorities maintained the current policy rate at 4.25 percent in a rare off-cycle meeting, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it would hike key interest rates if second-round effects from war-driven oil supply shocks occur. “Once we see second-round effects from...
