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...
The central bank expects consumer price growth to have slowed to a three-month low in July, driven by cheaper staple foods, even as a weakening currency and elevated energy costs threaten to sustain inflationary pressures. Headline inflation likely settled between 5.6 percent and 6.6 percent in...
Asia-Pacific (APAC) banks, including Philippine lenders, are facing a tighter monetary policy environment amid subdued domestic demand, as regional economies remain vulnerable to a resurgence in inflation driven by El Niño. “APAC banks face weaker domestic demand and tighter policy settings in...
A “triple threat” of crude oil prices topping $80 per barrel, Metro Manila’s ₱85 daily wage hike, and severe El Niño conditions could push third-quarter Philippine inflation back to levels seen during the height of the Middle East crisis and prompt the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to...
Elevated energy costs, weak investment, and softer domestic demand are slowing the Philippines’ recovery from its recent growth slump, according to Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB), warranting continued monetary policy tightening by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). In its...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing intensifying pressure to aggressively tighten monetary policy, with private-sector economists predicting up to 175 basis points in interest-rate hikes this year as geopolitical conflict and severe weather threaten to upend the inflation outlook. A...
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) slashed its Philippine economic growth forecast to 3.8 percent this year, which, if realized, would be the country’s slowest post-pandemic expansion amid delayed investments, higher inflation, and risks from climate shocks. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO)...
The central bank is grappling with an “unusual” inflation shock following the historic ₱85 daily minimum wage hike in Metro Manila, though a hyper-aggressive policy response is unlikely, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. On the sidelines of a BSP book...
Currency pressures from the global oil shock have dissipated, allowing the Philippine peso to rebound and even outperform other regional currencies, Singapore-based UOB said, which expects the previously battered currency to fare better against the United States (US) dollar thanks to falling oil...
American financial giant Goldman Sachs Group Inc. expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise key borrowing costs through three more 25-basis-point (bp) hikes to 5.5 percent, citing the looming inflation threat from El Niño coupled with the oil shock—a “quicker” transmission of...
British banking giant HSBC expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise interest rates by another 75 basis points (bps) following its recent hikes as inflation is projected to significantly overshoot the target ceiling this year, while economic growth remains dampened. “Higher oil...
Think tank Capital Economics expects the Philippine economy to grow below the government’s downgraded targets over the next three years, warning that the country’s recovery would likely remain sluggish as weak confidence, tight fiscal policy, and the lingering impact of recent shocks weigh on...
