The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is poised to extend its tightening cycle as foreign lenders believe that the central bank will prioritize anchoring inflation expectations over mounting risks to economic growth. Following the Monetary Board’s decision last week to raise the benchmark...
Philippine business sentiment collapsed into pessimistic territory in the first quarter as escalating Middle East tensions fueled fears of an energy price shock, according to the latest central bank data. According to the latest Business Expectations Survey (BES) released by the Bangko Sentral ng...
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. remains upbeat that the Philippines can clinch a coveted ‘A’ credit rating within the Marcos administration’s term, provided external pressures subside. “That’s still possible,” Remolona told reporters last week when asked...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) signaled a more aggressive path for monetary policy, with the central bank chief indicating readiness to deliver “as many hikes as necessary” to curb domestic price pressures resulting from global oil supply shocks. Following the central bank’s first...
The regulatory relief recently announced by monetary authorities is essential; it stabilizes borrowers’ loan repayment schedules and prevents a sharp uptick in banks ' non-performing loans (NPLs). This regulatory respite is a necessary support mechanism that helps stabilize banks’ balance...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) signaled a shift toward a tightening cycle, with the central bank chief indicating that the recent quarter-point increase in the benchmark borrowing rate is likely the first of several gradual moves to tame resurgent price pressures. BSP Governor Eli M....
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.5 percent on Thursday, April 23, a preemptive move intended to anchor inflation expectations as escalating Middle East tensions threaten to push domestic prices beyond the government’s target...
The inflation-targeting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to raise the policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.5 percent to confront war-driven price hikes head-on, according to investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. “Given its price stability mandate, we believe the BSP will hike...
While Asian currencies have been on a modest decline since Middle East tensions flared up, Japanese financial giant MUFG Bank Ltd. said the Philippine peso was the biggest loser among regional currencies, given the domestic economy’s high exposure to imported oil. Separately, think tank Capital...
Philippine banks expanded their collective balance sheets to a record high in the first two months of the year, driven by the surge in lending and shifts into government securities as lenders maintained a cautious but growth-oriented posture. Preliminary data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas...
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point on Thursday to combat broadening price pressures that are beginning to weigh on private consumption, according to New York-based GlobalSource Partners Inc. In a commentary released April 22,...
The Philippine external debt service burden (DSB) surged by more than four-fifths to $1.51 billion in January, from $831 million a year ago, driven by a significant increase in amortization. The latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the rise in the country’s servicing...
