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...
With dust from the United States (US)-Iran war still swirling in the air, global inflation remains vulnerable to a sudden resurgence in oil prices, according to global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, keeping the case for a preemptive hike in borrowing costs alive. Goldman Sachs has...
Monetary authorities are widely expected to deliver a third consecutive 25-basis-point interest rate increase on Thursday, Aug. 27, as persistent supply disruptions, recent wage hikes, and a weakening currency keep inflation risks tilted to the upside. A majority of private-sector economists...
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 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) signaled it remains prepared to adjust monetary policy further as upside risks to inflation accelerate and spillover effects threaten to broaden across the economy. Speaking at a legislative budget briefing on Monday, Aug. 17, BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr....
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...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) retains room for an additional 50 basis points (bps) of rate hikes at its remaining policy meetings, potentially closing the year with a benchmark rate of 5.25 percent, according to Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. MUFG Global Markets Research wrote in...
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 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...
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...
